Pehr Wilhelm Wargentin

     Pehr Wilmelm Wargentin was a Swedish astronomer as well as demographer. He was born on Septe mber 11, 1717 and lived to be 66 years old. He deceased on December 13, 1783. The event that sparked this man's interest in astronomy was actually currently able to observed by us only a few weeks ago. It was his viewing of a total lunar eclipse at thwelve years of age that got him interested into the study of astronomy. In his younger years, he was an extremely gifted young child. He was declared smart enough to attend a university directly after his elementary years. His father however, wished that he did not loose a part of his full experience being a child and demanded that he attend middle school. This was very boring to him due to the fact that the teachers were "lacking in the education of sciences", according to him. Wargetin quit before finishing his fourth year. He was then was admitted in to the University of Uppsala, where he was very successful. There he was taught by another famous swedish astronomer, Olof Hiorter. He there received his filosofie masters degree as well as his docent. A docent is a European degree that is a little below what we know to be a professor. This meant that he was eligible to teach an astronomy course. In 1749 he replaced Pehr Elvius Jr. as secretary of the Royal swedish Academy of Sciences. This job he continued to hold through out the rest of his life, making him the very first long serving secretary of the academy. Wargentin made a very signifigant contrubution to the academy as he helped very much in leading the academy to its golden era. Wilhelm was also the first director of the Stockholm Observatory. This observatory was founded by the academy that he was a long term secretary of. Pehr diligently studied the moons of Jupiter and published a research paper in the Acta of  the Royal Society of Sciences in Uppsala. After his busy life of many accomplishments, he then married his wife, Christina Magdalena Raab. With this wife he had three daughters. While attempting to give birth to their fourth child, his wife Christina had a miscarriage, that tragically, was fatal. One of Wargentins post mortal accomplishments was the naming of a crater discovered on the moon after him. This crater on the surface of the moon is named Wargentin.