astronomy

Lutz D. Schmadel

Lutz D. Schmadel 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 Lutz D. Schmadel rather than just read about it. In short: Lutz Dieter Schmadel (2 July 1942 – 21 October 2016) was a German astronomer and a prolific discoverer of asteroids, who worked at the Astronomisches Rechen-Institut (ARI) of the University of Heidelberg. His special interest was the astrometry of minor planets.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Lutz Dieter Schmadel (2 July 1942 – 21 October 2016) was a German astronomer and a prolific discoverer of asteroids, who worked at the Astronomisches Rechen-Institut (ARI) of the University of Heidelberg. His special interest was the astrometry of minor planets. Among his numerous discoveries were the three main-belt asteroids 8661 Ratzinger, 10114 Greifswald, and 11508 Stolte. He was the author of the Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, a reference book containing information about the discovery and naming of 12,804 asteroids (March 2006). One asteroid 2234 Schmadel, discovered in 1977, was named in his honor. The asteroid 8811 Waltherschmadel was named for his father, Walther Schmadel (1902–1944), who died at the Eastern Front near Stalingrad during World War 2.

Discoveries Lutz Schmadel is credited by the Minor Planet Center with the discovery of 245 minor planets made between 1960 and 1993.

List of discovered minor planets

Works Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books Dictionary of minor planet names (5th Edition). Springer Verlag, Berlin/Heidelberg 2003, ISBN 3-540-00238-3 Dictionary of minor planet names (Addendum to the 5th Edition: 2003-2005). Springer Verlag, Berlin/Heidelberg 2006, ISBN 3-540-34360-1 Dictionary of minor planet names (Addendum to the 5th Edition: 2006-2008). Springer Verlag, Berlin/Heidelberg 2006, ISBN 3-642-01964-1 Dictionary of minor planet names (6th Edition). Springer Verlag, Berlin/Heidelberg 2012, ISBN 3-642-29717-X

References

External links Asteroid 1992 RY "Sünkel" (German) Article on naming a star "Stolte" (German) Homepage of Lutz Schmadel

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Lutz D. Schmadel

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Lutz D. Schmadel 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 Lutz D. Schmadel 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 Lutz D. Schmadel 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 Lutz D. Schmadel

In research: Lutz D. Schmadel 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 Lutz D. Schmadel 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: Lutz D. Schmadel is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1942 births, 2016 deaths, 20th-century German astronomers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Lutz D. Schmadel 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.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Lutz D. Schmadel in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Lutz D. Schmadel 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 Lutz D. Schmadel out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lutz D. Schmadel in simple terms?

Why does Lutz D. Schmadel 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 Lutz D. Schmadel?

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 Lutz D. Schmadel.