Erich Meyer


Erich Meyer is an Austrian engineer, amateur astronomer and discoverer of asteroids.

Astronomical career

Between 1996 and 1999, using the private observatory Meyer/Obermair in Davidschlag, he discovered a total of 21 asteroids. Seven of these asteroids were discovered together with his colleague Erwin Obermair and one together with Herbert Raab. Furthermore, he was involved in six other discoveries of asteroids between 1996 and 2005, which were assigned as site discoveries to the observatory Davidschlag by the International Astronomical Union.
Meyer's most important observations include precisie astrometry of the comet Shoemaker–Levy 9, which he observed together with Erwin Obermair and Herbert Raab in 1993. These observations have significantly contributed to the subsequent prediction of the impact of this comet on the planet Jupiter. In 2018 Erich Meyer was able to identify the residential house of Johannes Kepler in Linz in Hofgasse - after 400 years.
Meyer is a member of the Astronomical Society of Linz. By profession, he works as an engineer in the field of maintenance of industrial plants.

Awards and honors

On April 4, 1997, Meyer was presented the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria of the republic of Austria. The asteroid 7940 Erichmeyer was named in his honor on June 10, 1998. In 2005, Meyer was awarded a "Gene Shoemaker NEO Grant" by the Planetary Society to support his work on near-Earth objects.

List of discovered minor planets

9236 Obermair12 March 1997
13682 Pressberger10 August 1997 
14057 Manfredstoll15 January 1996 
14977 Bressler26 September 1997
15949 Rhaeticus17 January 1998 
15955 Johannesgmunden26 January 1998
16802 Rainer25 September 1997
24916 Stelzhamer7 March 1997