Early asteroid research in Austria

Abstract

Johann Palisa discovered the first asteroid (136) Austria in 1874 at the Austrian Naval Observatory in Pola, Istria. After discovering 27 more objects in Pola, Palisa was offered a position in Vienna where he had the new large refractor (at that time the largest telescope in the world) at his disposal. During his career he discovered a total of 121 asteroids, making him the most successful discoverer of minor planets using visual techniques. Joseph Rheden used the new technology of photography to continue the program. He concentrated on measurements of positions for the purpose of orbit determination. At the same time Theodor Oppolzer introduced a new method of orbit determination which was applied to the observations. International cooperations resulted among other projects in the production of the Wolf-Palisa charts, and, much later, in a remeasurement of the original plates and use of the data for the improvement of orbit determination. This successful field of research came to an end because of the deterioration of observing conditions in Vienna, financial problems due to the political and economic decline following World War I and the death of Palisa in 1925.