Astronomers from Germany

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Germans Astronomers of all time. This list of famous Germans Astronomers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Germans Astronomers.

1. #1

   

   Johannes Kepler

   1571 - 1630

   HPI 89.24149 langs

   Johannes Kepler is most famous for his three laws of planetary motion. His first law states that the planets orbit the sun in ellipses, not...Read moreShow less

   Johannes Kepler is most famous for his three laws of planetary motion. His first law states that the planets orbit the sun in ellipses, not circles. His second law states that a line connecting the planet to the sun sweeps out equal areas in equal times. His third law states that the square of the orbital period is proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis.

2. #2

   

   Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers

   1758 - 1840

   HPI 80.2963 langs

   Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers is most famous for his astronomical paradox, which states that the night sky should be infinitely bright...Read moreShow less

   Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers is most famous for his astronomical paradox, which states that the night sky should be infinitely bright because of the infinite number of stars in the universe.

3. #3

   

   William Herschel

   1738 - 1822

   HPI 80.07100 langs

   William Herschel was a famous astronomer who discovered Uranus.

4. #4

   

   Caroline Herschel

   1750 - 1848

   HPI 75.2165 langs

   Caroline Herschel was a German astronomer who discovered eight comets and two nebulae.

5. #5

   

   Heinrich Louis d'Arrest

   1822 - 1875

   HPI 74.3845 langs

   Heinrich Louis d'Arrest is most famous for his discovery of the comet which bears his name, Comet d'Arrest.

6. #6

   

   Johann Gottfried Galle

   1812 - 1910

   HPI 73.8059 langs

   Johann Gottfried Galle is most famous for his discovery of Neptune in 1846.

7. #7

   

   Johann Bayer

   1572 - 1625

   HPI 72.5952 langs

   Johann Bayer was a German astronomer and cartographer who is most famous for the publication of Uranometria, a star atlas.

8. #8

   

   Wilhelm Schickard

   1592 - 1635

   HPI 72.1835 langs

   Wilhelm Schickard was a German mathematician and inventor. He is most famous for inventing the first mechanical calculator, which he called...Read moreShow less

   Wilhelm Schickard was a German mathematician and inventor. He is most famous for inventing the first mechanical calculator, which he called the Arithmometer.

9. #9

   

   Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve

   1793 - 1864

   HPI 72.1650 langs

   Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve was a German astronomer and mathematician. Struve is most famous for his work in the field of stellar...Read moreShow less

   Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve was a German astronomer and mathematician. Struve is most famous for his work in the field of stellar astronomy, particularly his work on double stars.

10. #10

    

    Walter Baade

    1893 - 1960

    HPI 71.1556 langs

    Walter Baade is most famous for his discovery of a supernova in the Andromeda galaxy.