Schumacher, Heinrich Christian
SCHUMACHER, HEINRICH CHRISTIAN (1780-1850), German astronomer, was born at Bramstedt in Holstein on the 3rd of September 1780. He was director of the Mannheim observatory from 1813 to 1815, and then became professor of astronomy in Copenhagen. From 1817 he directed the triangulation of Holstein, to which a few years later was added a complete geodetic survey of Denmark (finished after his death). For the sake of the survey an observatory was established at Altona, and Schumacher resided there permanently, chiefly occupied with the publication of Ephemerides (n parts, 1822-1832) and of the journal Astronomische Nachrichten, of which he edited thirtyone volumes. He died at Altona on the 28th of December 1850.
His son, RICHARD SCHUMACHER (1827-1902), was his assistant from 1844 to 1850 at the conservatory at Altona. Having become assistant to Carlos Guillelmo Moesta (1825-1884), director of the observatory at Santiago, in 1859, he was associated with the Chilean geodetic survey in 1864. Returning in 1869, he was appointed assistant astronomer at Altona in 1873, and afterwards at Kiel.
H. C. Schumacher's nephew, CHRISTIAN ANDREAS SCHU- MACHER (1810-1854), was associated with the geodetic survey of Denmark from 1833 to 1838, and afterwards (1844-1845) improved the observatory at Pulkowa.
Note - this article incorporates content from Encyclopaedia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, (1910-1911)
