2025-07-15

After new research the encyclopaedia entries regarding the minor planet (743) Eugenisis, discovered by Franz Kaiser in 1913, need to be corrected. Erwin Schwab has provided new insights into the naming of this minor planet, which is closely connected to the history of the Physikalischer Verein in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. An article detailing Schwab’s research has been published in the German Journal für Astronomie, No. 94.

For many years, the origin of the name (743) Eugenisis was considered a mystery. According to the standard work Dictionary of Minor Planet Names by Lutz D. Schmadel, the name was thought to be a combination of the Greek words ‘eu’ (good) and ‘genesis’ (birth). However the different spelling ‘Eugenisis’ raised doubts and the search for the true meaning began.

Through research in historical journals and newspapers, Erwin Schwab was finally able to demonstrate  that the name was a deliberate dedication: ‘Eugenisis’ was named in honour of Professor Dr.-Ing. Eugen Hartmann (1853-1915). He was one of the long-standing presidents of the Physikalischer Verein and co-designer of the new building that housed the Frankfurter Planeteninstitut (1913-1939), the former Minor Planet Center. The emblem of the Physikalischer Verein is the Egyptian goddess Isis, thus the combined name Eugen & Isis.

The name was suggested in 1926 by Martin Brendel with the approval of the discoverer. At the time, Brendel was the head of the Planetary Institute and this naming is similar to that of (728) Leonisis, which he named after Leo Gans, another president of the Physikalischer Verein, who alternated the presidency from 1900 to 1915 with Eugen Hartmann.

After around a hundred years, the true origin of the name has finally been clarified.

newspapers:
=>  Berliner Börsen-Zeitung vom 24.09.1926, S. 12
=>  Wiener Morgenzeitung vom 9.10.1926: Heft 2737
=>  Kölnische Zeitung vom 23.09.1926 S.2
=>  Israelisches Familienblatt vom 7.10.1926, Nr. 40, S. 9