astronomer, discovered (1804) and named Juno, third minor planet to be detected. He studied at the University of Göttingen under Georg Lichtenberg (Lichtenberg, Georg Christoph) and later served as assistant to J.H. Schröter at Schröter's Lilienthal Observatory. In 1805 Harding returned as a professor to Göttingen, where he remained until his death. He is credited with the discovery of three comets, in 1813, 1824, and 1832. His most important published work was the Atlas novus coelestis (1808–23), which catalogued more than 120,000 stars.