Johann Franz Encke, German astronomer and academic (d. 1865)
Johann Franz Encke (German pronunciation: [ˈjoːhan ˈfʁants ˈɛŋkə]; 23 September 1791 – 26 August 1865) was a German astronomer. Among his activities, he worked on the calculation of the periods of comets and asteroids, measured the distance from the Earth to the Sun, and made observations of the planet Saturn.