Residence Bohemia
Austria Name Joseph von Nationality Austrian Role Astronomer | Alma mater Charles University Fields Astronomer Known for Littrow projection | |
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Born March 13, 1781
Horsovsky Tyn, Bohemia ( 1781-03-13 ) Institutions Krakau University
Kazan University
Vienna Observatory
Buda Observatory
University of Vienna Doctoral students Nikolai Brashman
Ivan Simonov Died November 30, 1840, Vienna, Austria Education Charles University in Prague Children Karl L. Littrow, Heinrich von Littrow People also search for Karl L. Littrow, Heinrich von Littrow, Nikolai Brashman, Karl Stumpff, Nikolai Lobachevsky | ||
Notable students Nikolai Brashman | ||
Joseph Johann von Littrow (13 March 1781, Horšovský Týn (German: Bischofteinitz) – 30 November 1840, Vienna) was an Austrian astronomer. In 1837, he was ennobled with the title Joseph Johann Edler von Littrow. He was the father of Karl Ludwig Edler von Littrow and the mentor of the mathematician Nikolai Brashman. His work took him to Russia for a time, which is where his son who succeeded him was born.
He became director of the Vienna Observatory in 1819. He served in this position until his death in 1840. He created the only conformal retroazimuthal map projection, which is known as the Littrow projection.
Von Littrow is often associated with a proposal to dig a large circular canal in the Sahara desert and fill it with burning kerosene, thus communicating the fact of human intelligence to aliens who may be observing earth. However, Von Littrow's connection with this scheme may be apocryphal.
The crater Littrow on the Moon is named in his honor.