astronomy

Hermann Kobold

Hermann Kobold is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Hermann Kobold rather than just read about it. In short: Hermann Kobold (5 August 1858 – 11 June 1942) was a German astronomer. Biography Hermann Albert Kobold was born in Hanover, Kingdom of Hanover, the third of five children of the carpenter August Kobold and his wife Dorette Kobold (née Denker).

Key takeaways

Hermann Kobold belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Hermann Kobold to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Hermann Kobold from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Hermann Kobold (5 August 1858 – 11 June 1942) was a German astronomer.

Biography Hermann Albert Kobold was born in Hanover, Kingdom of Hanover, the third of five children of the carpenter August Kobold and his wife Dorette Kobold (née Denker). From 1877 to 1880, he studied mathematics and natural sciences at the University of Göttingen and attained a doctorate in astronomy in July 1880 with Wilhelm Klinkerfues as his adviser. Subsequently, he was an assistant at the private observatory of Miklos von Konkoly-Thege in Ógyalla, Hungary (now Hurbanovo, Slovakia). After the participation in an expedition to observe the 1882 transit of Venus in Aiken, South Carolina, he worked in Berlin some years analysing data from the observation.

Life in Strasbourg In 1887, Kobold was appointed to the observatory in Strasbourg, France (German Empire at the time). That same year, he married Dorothea Brandt, with whom he had four children. In 1888, he became a private lecturer and in 1900 extraordinary professor (außerordentlicher Professor) at the University of Strasbourg; two years later, he went to the University of Kiel as an observator and extraordinary professor. By intensive observations he discovered 22 previously unknown, smaller galaxies of the Coma galaxy cluster.

Astronomische Nachrichten From 1908 to 1938, he was the publisher of the astronomy journal Astronomische Nachrichten. An asteroid discovered by Karl William Reinmuth received the name 1164 Kobolda in Kobold's honor in the 1930s.

Death On 11 June 1942, Kobold died in Kiel, Germany.

External links

Chasing Venus, Observing the Transits of Venus Smithsonian Institution Libraries Literature by and about Hermann Kobold in the catalog of the German National Library Portrait and list of discoveries by Kobold (in German) Genealogy of Kobold (in German) Life memories of Hermann Kobold (PDF) (in German)

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Hermann Kobold

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Hermann Kobold claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Hermann Kobold before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Hermann Kobold ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Hermann Kobold

In research: Hermann Kobold appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Hermann Kobold in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Hermann Kobold is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1858 births, 1942 deaths, 19th-century German astronomers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Hermann Kobold outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Hermann Kobold in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Hermann Kobold means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Hermann Kobold out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Hermann Kobold in simple terms?

Hermann Kobold (5 August 1858 – 11 June 1942) was a German astronomer. Biography Hermann Albert Kobold was born in Hanover, Kingdom of Hanover, the third of five children of the carpenter August Kobold and his wife Dorette Kobold (née Denker).

Why does Hermann Kobold matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Hermann Kobold?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Hermann Kobold.