Hermann B. W. Mucke (March 1, 1935 – March 12, 2019) was an Austrian astronomer and one of the most significant promoters of

amateur astronomy 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 m ...

in German-speaking Europe. He was born and died in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Career

Mucke studied physics at the

Vienna University of Technology TU Wien (TUW; german: Technische Universität Wien; still known in English as the Vienna University of Technology from 1975–2014) is one of the major universities in Vienna, Austria. The university finds high international and domestic recogn ...

but under the influence of his teacher and mentor Oswald Thomas he soon took up the challenge of

adult education Adult education, distinct from child education, is a practice in which adults engage in systematic and sustained self-educating activities in order to gain new forms of knowledge, skills, attitudes, or values. Merriam, Sharan B. & Brockett, Ralp ...

in astronomy. In 1964 he was made head of the new Vienna city

planetarium A planetarium ( planetariums or ''planetaria'') is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation. A dominant feature of most planetarium ...

and made it an internationally reputed institution during his directorship. From 1971 onward Mucke was also the scientific director of the

Urania Urania ( ; grc, , Ouranía; modern Greek shortened name ''Ránia''; meaning "heavenly" or "of heaven") was, in Greek mythology, the muse of astronomy, and in later times, of Christian poetry. Urania is the goddess of astronomy and stars, he ...

educational observatory. On occasion of his retirement from both positions in 2000, the asteroid 7074 Muckea was named in honor of Hermann Mucke. In the preceding months the

solar eclipse of August 11, 1999 Solar may refer to: Astronomy * Of or relating to the Sun ** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun ** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. "solar panels") ** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indicate t ...

had further heightened his popularity, the media referring to him as ''Mister Sonne'' ("Mr. Sun"). Mucke's most significant scientific achievements were in

celestial mechanics Celestial mechanics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the motions of objects in outer space. Historically, celestial mechanics applies principles of physics (classical mechanics) to astronomical objects, such as stars and planets, to ...

and in

historical astronomy Historical astronomy is the science of analysing historic astronomical data. The American Astronomical Society (AAS), established 1899, states that its Historical Astronomy Division "...shall exist for the purpose of advancing interest in topics re ...

. He collaborated with

Jean Meeus Jean Meeus (born 12 December 1928) is a Belgian meteorologist and amateur astronomer specializing in celestial mechanics, spherical astronomy, and mathematical astronomy. Meeus studied mathematics at the University of Leuven in Belgium, wh ...

to compile a catalog of

solar eclipse A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of the Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs during an eclipse season, approximately every six month ...

s, and later another catalog of

lunar eclipse A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow. Such alignment occurs during an eclipse season, approximately every six months, during the full moon phase, when the Moon's orbital plane is closest to the plane of the Earth ...

s. For a considerable time he was particularly concerned with

comets 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 are ...

, and published a catalog of comet orbital elements.H. Mucke: ''Helle Kometen von -86 bis +1950'', Astronomisches Büro Wien, 2nd ed., 1976 Although technically in retirement, Mucke continued to embark on new projects. Taking up a concept of his teacher Thomas, he designed and established a public celestial observation post with various multimedia enhancements (the ''Sternengarten'') close to the

Wotruba Church The Kirche Zur Heiligsten Dreifaltigkeit ( en, Church of the Most Holy Trinity) in Vienna, better known as the Wotruba Church, is located on the Sankt Georgenberg in Mauer (corner of Rysergasse and Georgsgasse) in Liesing, the 23rd District of ...

at the Georgenberg, a hilltop in

Liesing Liesing () is the 23rd district of Vienna. It is on the southwest edge of Vienna, Austria. It was formed after Austria's ''Anschluss'' with Germany, when Vienna expanded from 21 districts to 26. Fifteen Lower Austrian districts, especially the ...

on the Southwestern outskirts of Vienna. He continued to manage the Astronomical Bureau and to edit the ''

Sternenbote The ''Sternenbote'' is a monthly scientific journal on astronomy published by the Astronomisches Büro (Vienna). It was established in 1958, and contents include ephemerides of comets and other Solar System objects and observation reports. It is ...

'', a monthly scientific periodical for German-speaking amateur astronomers which Mucke had founded in 1957.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mucke, Hermann 20th-century Austrian astronomers Austrian educators Scientists from Vienna 1935 births 2019 deaths TU Wien alumni 21st-century Austrian astronomers