Johann Franz Encke. Portrait of the German astronomer Johann Franz Encke (1791-1865). Encke was the director of the Seeburg Observatory in Switzerland from 1822-1825. He later became secretary of the Academy of Services at Berlin, Germany. He also became director of Berlin's observatory. In 1819, Encke showed that an object observed four times since 1805 was a comet. This comet is now called Encke's comet.