astronomy

Wilhelm Tempel

Wilhelm Tempel 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 Wilhelm Tempel rather than just read about it. In short: Ernst Wilhelm Leberecht Tempel (4 December 1821 – 16 March 1889), normally known as Wilhelm Tempel, was a German astronomer who worked in Marseille until the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, then later moved to Italy. Tempel was born at Niedercunnersdorf, Saxony.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Ernst Wilhelm Leberecht Tempel (4 December 1821 – 16 March 1889), normally known as Wilhelm Tempel, was a German astronomer who worked in Marseille until the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, then later moved to Italy. Tempel was born at Niedercunnersdorf, Saxony. He was a prolific discoverer of comets, discovering or co-discovering 21 in all, including Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, now known to be the parent body of the Leonid meteor shower, and 9P/Tempel, the target of the NASA probe Deep Impact in 2005. Other periodic comets that bear his name include 10P/Tempel and 11P/Tempel-Swift-LINEAR. In 1861, he was awarded the Lalande Prize. He won the Prix Valz for the year 1880. The main-belt asteroid 3808 Tempel and the lunar crater Tempel are named after him.

References

External links Bianchi, S.; Gasperini, A.; Galli, D.; Palla, F.; Brenni, P.; Giatti, A. (2010). "Wilhelm Tempel and his 10.8-cm Steinheil Telescope" (PDF). Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage. 13 (1): 43–58. Bibcode:2010JAHH...13...43B. ISSN 1440-2807. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-08-10. John Dreyer (1890). "Obituary". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 50 (4): 179–182. Bibcode:1890MNRAS..50..179.. doi:10.1093/mnras/50.4.179. W. Tempel @ Astrophysics Data System

Illustrations

Wilhelm Tempel: Wilhelm Tempel — Wilhelm Tempel

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Wilhelm Tempel

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Wilhelm Tempel 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 Wilhelm Tempel 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 Wilhelm Tempel 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 Wilhelm Tempel

In research: Wilhelm Tempel 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 Wilhelm Tempel 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: Wilhelm Tempel is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1821 births, 1889 deaths, 19th-century German astronomers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Wilhelm Tempel 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 Wilhelm Tempel in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Wilhelm Tempel in simple terms?

Why does Wilhelm Tempel 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 Wilhelm Tempel?

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 Wilhelm Tempel.