Schwabe was born at Dessau. At first an apothecary, he turned his attention to astronomy, and in 1826 commenced his observations on sun-spots. In 1843 he made the suggestion of a probable ten year period (i.e. that at every tenth year the number of spots reached a maximum), but it met with scant approval, and he continued his observations, which were afterwards utilized in 1851 by Humboldt in the third volume of his Kosmos. The periodicity of sun-spots is now fully recognized; and to Schwabe is thus due the credit of one of the most important discoveries in astronomy.