Johann Palisa
Born on December 6, 1848, in the then Austrian town of Troppau (now Opava, Czech Republic), as the eldest son of local merchant Franz Palisa and mother Katarina.
Palisa's birthplace (destroyed in WW2)
House appearance today
Palisa's photos taken around 1900
Career and Arrival in Pula
Palisa finished elementary school and gymnasium in his native Opava. After that, in 1866, he enrolled in mathematics at the University of Vienna. He was taught by professors Carl von Litrow, Edmund Weiss, and Theodor von Oppolzer.
At the beginning of 1871, he was transferred to the Naval Observatory in Pula as director. His main task there was to care for the ship chronometers of the Austrian Navy. Since these regular duties left him enough free time, Palisa began searching for minor planets.
Discoveries from Pula
Finally, on March 18, 1874, Palisa succeeded in discovering his first minor planet, which, as the first one discovered in Austria, he named AUSTRIA.
During his visit to Pula in 1875, Emperor Franz Joseph I personally named two newly discovered minor planets: (142) Polana and (143) Adria. If we add (183) Istria to this, there are three celestial bodies in space that bear the names of our geographical terms.
Minor planets (asteroids) discovered by Palisa from Pula
Observatory in Vienna
From Vienna, Palisa discovered another 94 minor planets, which together with those discovered from Pula, totals 123 new minor planets. As far as is known, Palisa discovered all minor planets visually, i.e., observing with the "naked" eye through a telescope.
1883. Palisa (center) on an expedition to Caroline Island (Pacific Ocean).
Maximilian Wolf (1863-1932)
Besides dedicating himself to discovering minor planets, Palisa, together with Max Wolf from the Heidelberg Observatory, created a photographic atlas of the sky.
Orion Nebula
Orion's Belt
In his 71st year (1919), Palisa's eyesight began to fail. He passed away on May 2, 1925. On the site where Palisa's birthplace once stood, a memorial plaque was placed on October 15, 2000.
Palisa's favorite saying is also written there: "SIC ITUR AD ASTRA" (Thus one goes to the stars).
