Today is the birthday of Karl Theodor Robert Luther, born in 1822 in the town of Schweidnitz, which is now in Poland, but at the time was in Germany (where it remained until the end of WWII).
Luther discovered 24 asteroids between April 1852 and February 1890. He died on February 15, 1900. Like several other asteroid hunters, he is now honoured with a lunar crater and his own asteroid, 1303 Luthera (discovered March 16, 1928 by A. Schwassmann).
One of his asteroids, 90 Antiope, is very interesting (as asteroids go) because it consists of two almost identically sized bodies. There’ll be more about that on October 1st. I have been completely unable to find any picture or photograph of Luther, which is annoying.
1756 – Death of Jacques Cassini.
1972 – Launch of Apollo 16.
It's All Going On Up There 