Born in Rossia, Austria, Biela was an army officer and an amateur astronomer. In 1826 he observed a comet with a short period of 6.6 years. When Biela's comet reappeared in 1845 it had split into two parts. It was last seen in 1852 when it presumably broke up, for in November 1872 what was probably its remains was seen as a fantastic meteor shower, which caused a worldwide sensation. The shower can still be seen faintly in Andromeda in late November. The meteors are sometimes called the Bielids or, alternatively, the Andromedids.