ASTRONOMERS & ASTROPHYSICISTS A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z                    HOME ABOUT CATEGORIES SITE MAP COPYRIGHT ADVERTISE CONTACT entire Web this site Olbers, Heinrich Wilhelm Matthäus (1758-1840) A German physician and skilled amateur astronomer who discovered the asteroids Pallas (1802) and Vesta (1807), recovered Ceres based on a position predicted by Carl Gauss, and first drew attention to what has become known as Olbers' Paradox (1823). The method he developed to figure out the orbit of a comet that he discovered in 1786 became standard in the nineteenth century. William Olbers was also a supporter of pluralism and of the increasingly contentious idea that the Moon was inhabited by intelligent beings (see Moon, life on). In the same paper in which he presented his famous paradox, he wrote that it is "most highly probable" that "all of infinite space is filled with suns and their retinues of planets and comets." Related category    • ASTRONOMERS AND ASTROPHYSICISTS Also on this site: Encyclopedia of Alternative Energy & Sustainable Living Encyclopedia of History Transport Concepts & Designs (partner site) BACK TO TOP