Cuno Hoffmeister (2 February 1892 – 2 January 1968) was a German

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, g ...

, observer and discoverer of

variable star A variable star is a star whose brightness as seen from Earth (its apparent magnitude) changes with time. This variation may be caused by a change in emitted light or by something partly blocking the light, so variable stars are classified as ...

comet A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or coma, and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena ar ...

s and

minor planets According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), a minor planet is an astronomical object in direct orbit around the Sun that is exclusively classified as neither a planet nor a comet. Before 2006, the IAU officially used the term ''mino ...

, and founder of

Sonneberg Observatory Sonneberg Observatory (german: Sternwarte Sonneberg) is an astronomical observatory and was formerly an institute of the Academy of Science in the German Democratic Republic. It was founded in 1925 by Cuno Hoffmeister and is located in Sonneberg, ...

. Born in

Sonneberg Sonneberg in Thuringia, Germany, is the seat of the Sonneberg district. It is in the Franconian south of Thuringia, neighboring its Upper Franconian twin town Neustadt bei Coburg. Sonneberg became known as the "world toy city", and is home to ...

in 1892 to Carl and Marie Hoffmeister, Cuno Hoffmeister obtained his first telescope in 1905 and became an avid

amateur astronomer Amateur astronomy is a hobby where participants enjoy observing or imaging celestial objects in the sky using the unaided eye, binoculars, or telescopes. Even though scientific research may not be their primary goal, some amateur astronomers ...

. After his father lost most of his money in 1914, Hoffmeister had to leave school in 1916 to start an apprenticeship in his father's company. During this time he continued to study spherical mathematics and trigonometry. In April 1915 he had the opportunity to substitute as the assistant of Ernst Hartwig at ''Remeis Observatory'' in Bamberg while the current holder of the position was drafted, mainly working on observations of meteors and

s. He held this position until the end of the war and then moved back to Sonneberg, where he made his

Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...

in 1920. After studying at the

University of Jena The University of Jena, officially the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (german: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, abbreviated FSU, shortened form ''Uni Jena''), is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany. The un ...

, while at the same time continuing to work in his job as a tradesman, Hoffmeister obtained his doctorate in 1927. During this time he had already started building what was to become Sonneberg Observatory. After his PhD, he moved back to Sonneberg and started expanding the observatory. Hoffmeister remained at the observatory until his death, even though the observatory lost most of its equipment after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and he was disowned as the observatory became part of East Germany's academy of sciences. Hoffmeister served as the director of the observatory until his death. During his life he played a leading role in supporting amateurs in observations of noctilucent clouds, aurorae, and nightglow.

Discoveries

During his active life as an astronomer, Hoffmeister discovered approximately 10,000

s on the more than 100,000

photographic plate Photographic plates preceded photographic film as a capture medium in photography, and were still used in some communities up until the late 20th century. The light-sensitive emulsion of silver salts was coated on a glass plate, typically thinn ...

s taken at Sonneberg Observatory. The

Minor Planet Center The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Function ...

credits him with the discovery of 5 asteroids between 1938 and 1963. He also co-discovered C/1959 O1, a

hyperbolic comet This is a list of parabolic and hyperbolic comets in the Solar System. Many of these comets may come from the Oort cloud, or perhaps even have interstellar origin. The Oort Cloud is not gravitationally attracted enough to the Sun to form into ...

, in 1957.

Honors

The lunar crater '' Hoffmeister'' and the two minor planets 1726 Hoffmeister and 4183 Cuno were named in his honor (). Also Hoffmeister's star in Cassiopeia (V442 = Sonneberg 9484) and Hoffmeister's cloud at 20h47m/-42°.''Sky Catalogue 2000.0'', Volume 2: ''Double Stars'', ''Variable Stars'', and ''Nonstellar Objects'' (Edited by Alan Hirshfeld and Roger W. Sinnott, 1985), Glossary of selected astronomical names, page xlvii

References

External links

Cuno Hoffmeister, Mitteilungen der Astronomischen Gesellschaft 24, 5

Cuno Hoffmeister, Irish Astronomical Journal 9, 169
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoffmeister, Cuno 1892 births 1968 deaths People from Sonneberg People from Saxe-Meiningen Nazi Party members 20th-century German astronomers East German scientists Discoverers of comets Discoverers of asteroids * University of Jena alumni Members of the German Academy of Sciences at Berlin Members of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina Recipients of the National Prize of East Germany