14 Facts About Wilhelm Schur

Adolph Christian Wilhelm Schur, RAS Associate was a German astronomer and professor of astronomy at the University of Gottingen.

Wilhelm Schur held important positions at multiple observatories throughout his career, namely deputy director of the Strasbourg Observatory and director of the Gottingen Observatory.

Wilhelm Schur was born on 15 April 1846 in Altona, Hamburg, to the wine merchant Friedrich Wilhelm Schur and his wife Johanna Tormahlen.

Wilhelm Schur temporarily worked at the Berlin Observatory before being hired as an assistant at the Strasbourg Observatory in July 1873.

Under the observatory's director, Friedrich Winnecke, Wilhelm Schur assisted in preparatory work for the expedition and joined the crew when they embarked for Auckland Island in July 1874.

Wilhelm Schur quickly climbed the ranks; he was promoted to an observer in 1877 and, when Winnecke fell ill in 1882, he took over direction of the observatory as deputy director.

Wilhelm Schur oversaw the setup of astronomical instruments at the newly built observatory and made extensive observations and measurements using transit instruments and heliometers.

On Easter 1886 Wilhelm Schur was appointed to the University of Gottingen as Professor of Practical Astronomy and Director of the Gottingen Observatory.

At the beginning of 1901 Wilhelm Schur began exhibiting symptoms of severe stomach cancer and his health began to rapidly deteriorate.

Wilhelm Schur was left housebound and could only partially continue his work.

Wilhelm Schur failed to recover and died in the evening hours of 1 July 1901.

Wilhelm Schur knew no mercy for his person; he held most of the many work hours he had set up for himself.

Wilhelm Schur has never tried to come out with his person.

Schur, like Wilhelm Klinkerfues, suffered due to the division of the Gottingen Observatory into theoretical and practical wings, which caused needless conflict and only ended after 1897.