He worked in Nikolaev, Pulkovo and Berlin and is best known for having discovered 158 Koronis and three other minor planets.

[6] He did not teach students at the University of Berlin; instead he gave introductions into the use of the telescopes of the Observatory.

[4] Knorre was also known as a strong chess player, playing among others against Adolf Anderssen, Gustav Neumann and Johannes Zukertort.

In the Two Knights Defense the Knorre variation (ECO code C59) is named after him.

[9] The Knorre variation of the Open defense in the Ruy Lopez, characterized by the move 6.