He directed the Hamburg Observatory from 1941 to 1962, after which he became the first director of the European Southern Observatory.

He worked at Hamburg Observatory.

The Hamburg Observatory occupied the area at the Museum from 1825 to 1912 before being moved to Bergedorf.

His son George took over as director of the Hamburg Observatory in 1857, where he served until his death in 1900.

In 1834 he became an assistant at Hamburg Observatory and in 1839 joined the staff of Pulkovo Observatory.

It is now housed in a museum at the Hamburg Observatory.

In 1968 a 38 cm reflector was set up by the Hamburg Observatory at Stephanion Observatory in Greece.

Later that year he became professor in astrophysics at the Hamburg Observatory in Germany, and remained in that position until he retired in 2001.

He worked as an assistant at the Hamburg Observatory and became a professor at Hamburg in 1916.

The Schmidt telescope was moved to Calar Alto in 1976 from the Hamburg Observatory at Bergedorf, where it had been completed in 1954.