Wilhelm Beer
Wilhelm Wolff Beer (4 January 1797 – 27 March 1850) was a banker and astronomer from Berlin, Prussia, and the brother of Giacomo Meyerbeer.
Also recorded as Wilhelm Wolff Beer
Wilhelm Beer
Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Born
- 1797.
- Died
- 1850.
- Nationality
- Kingdom of Prussia.
- Occupation
- selenographer, astronomer, cartographer, banker and politician.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Wilhelm Wolff Beer (4 January 1797 – 27 March 1850) was a banker and astronomer from Berlin, Prussia, and the brother of Giacomo Meyerbeer.
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Note VALÉORINE
Wilhelm Beer (1797–1850) was a Prussian astronomer, banker and cartographer, among other activities. The astronomer was born and died in Berlin. Wilhelm Beer was active in astronomy.
Languages used include German. The astronomer received Lalande Prize, Order of the Dannebrog and Royal Order of Vasa.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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Authority files
wikidata · Q60133 · wikipedia · Wilhelm Beer
In this article
Astronomy
Astronomy
Beer's fame derives from his hobby, astronomy. He built a private observatory with a 9.5 cm refractor in Tiergarten, Berlin. Together with Johann Heinrich Mädler he produced the first exact map of the Moon (entitled Mappa Selenographica) in 1834–1836, and in 1837 published a description of the Moon (Der Mond nach seinen kosmischen und individuellen Verhältnissen). Both remained the best descriptions of the Moon for many decades. In 1830, Beer and Mädler created the first globe of the planet Mars. In 1840 they made a map of Mars and calculated its rotation period to be 24 h 37 min 22.7 s, only 0.1 seconds different from the actual period as it is known today.
Other work
Other work
In addition to his hobby of astronomy, he helped with the establishment of a railway system in Prussia, and promoted the Jewish community in Berlin. In his last decade of life, he worked as a writer and politician. In 1849 he was elected as an MP for the first chamber of the Prussian parliament.
Named after Beer
Named after Beer
The crater Beer on Mars is named in Wilhelm Beer's honor and lies near Mädler. There is also a crater called Beer on the Moon.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1797
Wilhelm Beer was born on 4 January 1797.
1850
Wilhelm Beer died on 27 March 1850.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Wilhelm Beer”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q60133: Wilhelm Beer
Unverified · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Hockey, Thomas. The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers. Springer Publishing. October 2025. 978-0-387-31022-0.
- 2.de Vaucouleurs, G. The new Martian nomenclature of the International Astronomical Union. Icarus. 26. 1. 85−98. September 1975. 10.1016/0019-1035(75)90146-3.
References
Citations
References
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Partially resolvedauthority record
Unverified
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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