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Wolf Bickel (born 6 July 1942, Bensberg) is a German amateur astronomer and a prolific discoverer of asteroids, observing at his private Bergisch Gladbach Observatory, Germany. He is the most successful German discoverer of minor planets.<ref name="VDS" /><ref name="MPC-Bickel" />
BiographyEdit
Bickel studied electrical engineering at RWTH Aachen University and finished his studies in 1969. He became enthusiastic about astronomy, when he received a celestial chart and Galilean binoculars as a gift from his grandmother at the age of 16. Bickel began to grind parabolic mirrors to build his own telescopes. In 1995, he built a 0.6-meter aperture telescope and discovered his first minor planet, the main-belt asteroid Template:Mp the same year. He still uses this self-made telescope as of today.<ref name="VDS" />
He lives in Bergisch Gladbach, in the Cologne–Bonn Region of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The Minor Planet Center confused Bickel's home town with the location of his observatory, which is located 30 kilometers from his place of residence.<ref name="VDS" /> Bickel named 12564 IkellerTemplate:Snd an asteroid of the Koronis family, and his one and only named discoveryTemplate:Snd after his wife, Ingeborg Bickel–Keller (b. 1941).<ref name="MPC-Ikeller" />
Honors and awardsEdit
The 12-kilometer sized asteroid 4324 Bickel, discovered by American astronomer Laurence Taff in 1981, was named in his honor.<ref name="MPC-Bickel" />
Minor planet discoveriesEdit
Official MPC discoveriesEdit
As of 2017, he is credited by the Minor Planet Center (MPC) with the discovery of 665 numbered minor planets during 1995–2010.<ref name="MPC-Discoverers" />
Comparison with German discoverersEdit
In terms of total discoveries, Bickel is the most successful German discoverer of asteroids, ahead of (professional) astronomer Freimut Börngen and the first amateur astronomer to claim this honor in more than 150 years.<ref name="VDS" /> The comparison was published by Erwin Schwab in the journal of the German astronomical society "Vereinigung der Sternfreunde" in 2013, and applies a different metric than used by the MPC.<ref name="VDS" />
# | Name | Discoveries(a) | Status(b) | Period | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Wolf Bickel | 539 | A | 1995–2010 | Bergisch Gladbach, Germany |
2. | Freimut Börngen | 537 | P | 1961–1995 | Tautenburg, Germany |
3. | Sebastian F. Hönig | 494 | A | 2002–2008 | Palomar (USA), Punaauia (Polynesia) |
4. | Karl Reinmuth | 395 | P | 1914–1957 | Heidelberg, Germany |
5. | Max F. Wolf | 248 | P | 1891–1932 | Heidelberg, Germany |
6. | Lutz D. Schmadel | 241 | P | 1960–1993 | Tautenburg, Germany, La Silla (Chile), Palomar (USA) |
7. | August Kopff | 68 | P | 1904–1909 | Heidelberg, Germany |
8. | Erwin Schwab | 57 | A | 2006–2010 | Taunus, Germany, Mayhill (USA), Moorook (Australia) |
9. | Rolf Apitzsch | 55 | A | 2004–2010 | Wildberg, Germany |
10. | Rainer Kling | 52 | A | 2006–2010 | Taunus, Germany |
11. | Felix Hormuth | 45 | P | 2003–2009 | Calar Alto (Spain), Heppenheim and Heidelberg, Germany |
12. | Hans Scholl | 42 | P | 2003–2005 | La Silla (Chile) |
13. | Stefan Karge | 36 | A | 2007–2010 | Taunus, Germany, Mayhill (USA) |
14. | Hans-Emil Schuster | 25 | P | 1976–1982 | La Silla (Chile) |
15. | Robert Luther | 24 | P | 1852–1890 | Düsseldorf-Bilk, Germany |
16. | Jens Kandler | 23 | A | 1997–2005 | Drebach, Germany |
17. | Arnold Schwassmann | 22 | P | 1898–1932 | Heidelberg and Bergedorf, Germany |
18. | Gerhard Lehmann | 21 | A | 1998–2004 | Drebach, Germany |
18. | Franz Kaiser | 21 | P | 1911–1914 | Heidelberg, Germany |
20. | Paul Götz | 20 | P | 1903–1905 | Heidelberg, Germany |
21. | Hermann Goldschmidt | 14 | A | 1852–1861 | Paris (France) |
22. | Josef Helffrich | 13 | P | 1909–1911 | Heidelberg, Germany |
22. | André Knöfel | 13 | A | 1998–2007 | Drebach, Germany |
22. | Maik Meyer | 13 | A | 2002 | Palomar (USA) |
25. | Ute Zimmer | 11 | A | 2007–2009 | Taunus, Germany |
26. | Walter Baade | 10 | P | 1920–1949 | Bergedorf, Germany, Palomar and Mt Wilson (USA) |
Source: VdS-Journal Nr. 47, p. 82, April 2013<ref name="VDS" /> a Discoveries: co-discoveries are not considered (for the official and more recent count, see List of minor planet discoverers) b Status: A = amateur astronomer; P = professional astronomer |
Template:Anchor ListEdit
This is a list of Wolf Bickel's officially discovered (numbered) minor planets, as credited by the Minor Planet Center.<ref name="MPC-Discoverers" />
Template:Mp | 24 September 2011 | Template:LoMP |
Template:Mp | 29 August 2005 | Template:LoMP |
Template:Mp | 19 August 2009 | Template:LoMP |
Template:Mp | 5 July 2013 | Template:LoMP |
Template:Mp | 6 October 2005 | Template:LoMP |
Template:Mp | 5 October 2005 | Template:LoMP |
Template:Mp | 2 March 2011 | Template:LoMP |
Template:Mp | 2 April 2011 | Template:LoMP |
Template:Mp | 23 May 2011 | Template:LoMP |
Template:Mp | 18 May 2004 | Template:LoMP |
Template:Mp | 27 September 2011 | Template:LoMP |
Template:Mp | 31 October 2011 | Template:LoMP |
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- Bickel overtakes Börgen as most successful discoverer of minor planets, (German), VdS-Journal Nr. 47