Paul Wild (Swiss astronomer)
| Asteroids discovered: 94 | |
|---|---|
| 1657 Roemera | March 6, 1961 |
| 1687 Glarona | September 19, 1965 |
| 1748 Mauderli | September 7, 1966 |
| 1768 Appenzella | September 23, 1965 |
| 1773 Rumpelstilz | April 17, 1968 |
| 1775 Zimmerwald | May 13, 1969 |
| 1803 Zwicky | February 6, 1967 |
| 1830 Pogson | April 17, 1968 |
| 1831 Nicholson | April 17, 1968 |
| 1838 Ursa | October 20, 1971 |
| 1839 Ragazza | October 20, 1971 |
| 1844 Susilva | October 30, 1972 |
| 1845 Helewalda | October 30, 1972 |
| 1860 Barbarossa | September 28, 1973 |
| 1866 Sisyphus | December 5, 1972 |
| 1891 Gondola | September 11, 1969 |
| 1892 Lucienne | September 16, 1971 |
| 1893 Jakoba | October 20, 1971 |
| 1906 Naef | September 5, 1972 |
| 1911 Schubart | October 25, 1973 |
| 1935 Lucerna | September 2, 1973 |
| 1936 Lugano | November 24, 1973 |
| 1937 Locarno | December 19, 1973 |
| 1938 Lausanna | April 19, 1974 |
| 1960 Guisan | October 25, 1973 |
| 1961 Dufour | November 19, 1973 |
| 1962 Dunant | November 24, 1973 |
| 2001 Einstein | March 5, 1973 |
| 2005 Hencke | September 2, 1973 |
| 2029 Binomi | September 11, 1969 |
| 2033 Basilea | February 6, 1973 |
| 2034 Bernoulli | March 5, 1973 |
| 2037 Tripaxeptalis | October 25, 1973 |
| 2038 Bistro | November 24, 1973 |
| 2040 Chalonge | April 19, 1974 |
| 2080 Jihlava | February 27, 1976 |
| 2081 Sázava | February 27, 1976 |
| 2087 Kochera | December 28, 1975 |
| 2088 Sahlia | February 27, 1976 |
| 2129 Cosicosi | September 27, 1973 |
| 2138 Swissair | April 17, 1968 |
| 2151 Hadwiger | November 3, 1977 |
| 2152 Hannibal | November 19, 1978 |
| 2175 Andrea Doria | October 12, 1977 |
| 2218 Wotho | January 10, 1975 |
| 2229 Mezzarco | September 7, 1977 |
| 2239 Paracelsus | September 13, 1978 |
| 2262 Mitidika | September 10, 1978 |
| 2303 Retsina | March 24, 1979 |
| 2320 Blarney | August 29, 1979 |
| 2337 Boubín | October 22, 1976 |
| 2353 Alva | October 27, 1975 |
| 2368 Beltrovata | September 4, 1977 |
| 2429 Schürer | October 12, 1977 |
| 2481 Bürgi | October 18, 1977 |
| 2517 Orma | September 28, 1968 |
| 2521 Heidi | February 28, 1979 |
| 2565 Grögler | October 12, 1977 |
| 2731 Cucula | May 21, 1982 |
| 2843 Yeti | December 7, 1975 |
| 2868 Upupa | October 30, 1972 |
| 2914 Glärnisch | September 19, 1965 |
| 2950 Rousseau | November 9, 1974 |
| 2970 Pestalozzi | October 27, 1978 |
| 2989 Imago | October 22, 1976 |
| 3021 Lucubratio | February 6, 1967 |
| 3026 Sarastro | October 12, 1977 |
| 3060 Delcano | September 12, 1982 |
| 3258 Somnium | September 8, 1983 |
| 3329 Golay | September 12, 1985 |
| 3468 Urgenta | January 7, 1975 |
| 3491 Fridolin | September 30, 1984 |
| 3552 Don Quixote | September 26, 1983 |
| 3582 Cyrano | October 2, 1986 |
| 3928 Randa | August 4, 1981 |
| 4323 Hortulus | August 27, 1981 |
| 4471 Graculus | November 8, 1978 |
| 5369 Virgiugum | September 22, 1985 |
| 5708 Melancholia | October 12, 1977 |
| 5710 Silentium | October 18, 1977 |
| 5986 Xenophon | October 2, 1969 |
| 6475 Refugium | September 29, 1987 |
| 6620 Peregrina | October 25, 1973 |
| 7081 Ludibunda | August 30, 1987 |
| 8061 Gaudium | October 27, 1975 |
| (9149) 1977 TD1 | October 12, 1977 |
| (9302) 1985 TB3 | October 12, 1985 |
| 9711 Želetava [1] | August 7, 1972 |
| 9716 Severina | October 27, 1975 |
| (10488) 1985 RS1 | September 12, 1985 |
| 13025 Zürich | January 28, 1989 |
| 14826 Nicollier | September 16, 1985 |
| (16415) 1987 QE7 | August 21, 1987 |
| 19251 Totziens | September 3, 1994 |
| |
Professor Paul Wild (German pronunciation: [ˈvɪlt]) (born 5 October 1925 in Wädenswil, Switzerland, died 2 July 2014 in Bern)[1] was a Swiss astronomer who discovered numerous comets and asteroids.
Career
Wild studied mathematics and physics at the ETH Zurich, Switzerland from 1944 through 1950. Thereafter, he worked at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) where he researched galaxies and supernovas under the leadership of Fritz Zwicky from 1951 through 1955.[1][2]
On October 2, 1957, he discovered a first comet named 1957IX at the Zimmerwald Observatory, near Bern.[3]
Professor Wild became director of the Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern, Switzerland, in 1980, and remained in this position until 1991.
Discoveries
During countless nights Wild observed the skies in the Zimmerwald Observatory. Wild discovered a number of comets, asteroids and supernovae, including:
- periodic comets 63P/Wild, 81P/Wild, 86P/Wild and 116P/Wild;
- the Apollo asteroid 1866 Sisyphus and the Amor asteroids 2368 Beltrovata and 3552 Don Quixote;
- 41 supernovae, as well as 8 co-discoveries. His first discovered supernova was SN 1954A, while his most recent is SN 1994M.
The best known discovery of a comet occurred on January 6, 1978. This comet of the planet Jupiter family was classified as 1978 XI, P/WILD 2 or 81P/Wild. WILD 2 was chosen by NASA for its Stardust mission launched on February 7, 1999. The stardust spacecraft flew through the comet’s trail and collected samples of the tail’s dust. After the return of the spacecraft to earth, analysis of the dust particles by different researcher provided new insights about the evolution of the solar system. Organic compounds such as glycine, a fundamental chemical building block of life, were found on a comet for the first time. In addition, evidence of the presence of liquid water was detected.
External links
-
Media related to Paul Wild at Wikimedia Commons - Astronomical Institute of the University of Berne
References
|