astronomy

Otto Kippes

Otto Kippes 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 Otto Kippes rather than just read about it. In short: Otto Kippes (23 July 1905 – 2 February 1994) was a German Catholic priest and amateur astronomer, born in Bamberg, Bavaria. He was acknowledged especially for his work in asteroid orbit calculations, which brought him the Amateur Achievement Award of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific in 1991.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Otto Kippes (23 July 1905 – 2 February 1994) was a German Catholic priest and amateur astronomer, born in Bamberg, Bavaria. He was acknowledged especially for his work in asteroid orbit calculations, which brought him the Amateur Achievement Award of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific in 1991. In 1959, the Berlin Academy of Sciences awarded him the Leibniz Medal for his contributions in the identification of minor planets. The main belt asteroid 1780 Kippes was named in his honour. Kippes in turn had successfully proposed to name several asteroids after fellow amateur astronomers. He died on 2 February 1994 in Würzburg, Bavaria.

See also List of Roman Catholic scientist-clerics

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Otto Kippes

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Otto Kippes 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 Otto Kippes 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 Otto Kippes 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 Otto Kippes

In research: Otto Kippes 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 Otto Kippes 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: Otto Kippes is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1905 births, 1994 deaths, 20th-century German astronomers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Otto Kippes 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 Otto Kippes in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Otto Kippes in simple terms?

Why does Otto Kippes 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 Otto Kippes?

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 Otto Kippes.