Karl Ludwig Harding (29 September 1765 – 31 August 1834) was a German astronomer, who discovered Juno, the third asteroid of the main-belt in 1804.
Life and career
Harding was born in Lauenburg. From 1786–89, he was educated at the University of Göttingen, where he studied theology, mathematics, and physics.[2] In 1796, Johann Hieronymus Schröter hired Harding as a tutor for his son. Schröter was an enthusiastic astronomer and owner of a well-equipped observatory in Lilienthal near Bremen, where Harding was soon appointed observer and inspector.
In 1800, he was among the 24 astronomers invited to participate in the celestial police, a group dedicated to finding additional planets in the solar system. As part of the group, in 1804, Harding discovered Juno at Schröter's observatory. In the next year he left Lilienthal, where his successor became Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel, as he was appointed extraordinary professor of astronomy at the University of Göttingen, since 1812 as ordinary professor. He worked at Göttingen Observatory, since 1807 as colleague of Carl Friedrich Gauss, until his sudden death in 1834.[3][2]
In addition to Juno, he discovered three comets and the variable stars R Virginis, R Aquarii, R Serpentis and S Serpentis.[4] Furthermore, he found some new nebulae,[5] among them being the Helix Nebula or "the Eye of God". His main opus was the Atlas novus coelestis, the first star atlas without splendid but confusing mythological figures.
