Hermann von Helmholtz

Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz (August 31, 1821 – September 8, 1894) was a German physician and physicist who made significant contributions to several widely varied areas of modern science. In physiology and psychology, he is known for his mathematics of the eye, theories of vision, ideas on the visual perception of space, color vision research, and on the sensation of tone, perception of sound, and empiricism. In physics, he is known for his theories on the conservation of energy, work in electrodynamics, chemical thermodynamics, and on a mechanical foundation of thermodynamics. As a philosopher, he is known for his philosophy of science, ideas on the relation between the laws of perception and the laws of nature, the science of aesthetics, and ideas on the civilizing power of science. The largest German association of research institutions, the Helmholtz Association, is named after him.

Biography

Early years

Helmholtz was the son of the Potsdam Gymnasium headmaster, Ferdinand Helmholtz, who had studied classical philology and philosophy, and who was a close friend of the publisher and philosopher Immanuel Hermann Fichte. Helmholtz's work is influenced by the philosophy of Johann Gottlieb Fichte and Immanuel Kant. He tried to trace their theories in empirical matters like physiology.

Helmholtz (lunar crater)

Helmholtz is a lunar impact crater that is located near the south-southeast limb of the Moon. Attached to the south-southeast rim of Helmholtz is the somewhat smaller crater Neumayer. The larger crater Boussingault is nearly attached to the west-southwestern rim.

The outer rim of Helmholtz is worn and rounded, although not significantly disrupted. The edge of the rim can still be discerned around the perimeter, although several small craters lie along the inner edge. One such crater lies across the inner southeast wall, and a pair occupies the opposite inner wall to the northeast. There are also a couple of smaller craterlets just inside the north rim.

The northern half of the interior floor is level and marked only by a few very tiny craterlets. The southern floor is more irregular due to the overlaying ejecta from Neumayer and Boussingault, and is marked by a pair of tiny craters in the southeast. There is no central peak.

Satellite craters

By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Helmholtz.

Helmholtz (Martian crater)

Helmholtz Crater is an impact crater in the Argyre quadrangle on Mars at 45.8°S and 21.3°W and is 111.5 km in diameter. Its name was approved in 1973 by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN), and it was named after Hermann von Helmholtz.

See also

References