1 7 2 9 ▁– ▁ 1 6 ▁December ▁ 1 7 9 6 ) ▁was ▁a ▁German ▁astronom er ▁and ▁a ▁professor ▁at ▁W itten berg . ▁ ▁Tit ius ▁was ▁born ▁in ▁Kon itz ▁( Cho j nice ), ▁Royal ▁Pr uss ia ▁( a ▁f ief ▁of ▁the ▁Crown ▁of ▁Poland ) ▁to ▁Jakob ▁T iet z , ▁a ▁merchant ▁and ▁council ▁member ▁from ▁Kon itz , ▁and ▁Maria ▁Dor othe a , ▁n ée ▁Han ow . ▁His ▁original ▁name ▁was ▁Johann ▁T iet z , ▁but ▁as ▁was ▁custom ary ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 8 th ▁century , ▁when ▁he ▁became ▁a ▁university ▁professor , ▁he ▁Latin ized ▁his ▁surname ▁to ▁Tit ius . ▁T iet z ▁attended ▁school ▁in ▁Dan zig ▁( G da ń sk ) ▁and ▁studied ▁at ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁Leipzig ▁( 1 7 4 9 - 1 7 5 2 ). ▁He ▁died ▁in ▁W itten berg , ▁Elect or ate ▁of ▁Sax ony . ▁ ▁Astronom y ▁ ▁He ▁is ▁best ▁known ▁for ▁form ulating ▁the ▁Tit ius – B ode ▁law , ▁and ▁for ▁using ▁this ▁rule ▁to ▁predict ▁the ▁existence ▁of ▁a ▁cel est ial ▁object ▁at ▁ 2 . 8 ▁A U ▁from ▁the ▁sun ▁which ▁led ▁to ▁the ▁ 1 8 0 1 ▁discovery ▁of ▁what ▁we ▁now ▁know ▁as ▁Cer es . ▁He ▁drew ▁up ▁the ▁law ▁in ▁ 1 7 6 6 , ▁when ▁he ▁inserted ▁his ▁mathematical ▁observation ▁on ▁planet ary ▁distances ▁into ▁a ▁German