Erik Prosperin

Who was Erik Prosperin?

Erik Prosperin was a Swedish astronomer.

Prosperin was a lecturer in mathematics and physics at Uppsala University in 1767, professor of observational astronomy in 1773 – 1796, and professor of Astronomy in 1797 – 1798. He became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm in 1771 and a member of the Royal Society of Sciences in Uppsala in 1774.

Prosperin was a famous calculator of orbits: comets, planets, and their satellites. He calculated the orbits of the new planet Uranus — for which he proposed the names Astraea, Cybele, and Neptune — and its satellites. He was also one of the first to calculate the orbit of the first asteroid, 1 Ceres, in 1801.

Prosperin calculated orbits for a total of 84 comets, especially Comet Messier, Comet Lexell, the Great Comet of 1771, Comet Montaigne, Comet Bode, and Comet Encke.

The asteroid 7292 Prosperin was named in his honor.