Named in memory of Johann Franz Encke (1791–1865), eminent German astronomer. Beginning in 1816, Encke was assistant professor and director of the Seeberg Observatory, near Gotha {see, respectively planets
(8130) and
(1346)}. He computed the orbit of a short-period comet discovered by Pons {see planet
(7645)} and demonstrated that this object had been observed repeatedly. Later it was named comet 2P/Encke. In 1825 Encke was appointed director of the Berlin Observatory and member of the Berlin Academy of Sciences. Encke is most famous for editing the Berliner Astronomisches Jahrbuch from 1830 to 1866. This contained several very important papers on orbit determination and perturbation computations. (M 34350; M 34385) _ _.