August Kopff

Who was August Kopff?

August Kopff was a German astronomer who discovered several comets and asteroids. He studied and worked in Heidelberg, getting his PhD there in 1906 and he then joined the Humboldt University of Berlin where he became the Director of the Institute for Astronomical Calculation.

He discovered some comets, including periodic comet 22P/Kopff and the non-periodic C/1906 E1. He discovered a number of asteroids, including notably the Trojan asteroids 617 Patroclus and 624 Hektor.

The lunar crater Kopff is named after him, along with the asteroid 1631 Kopff.