Károly Nagy (6 December 1797 – 2 March 1868) was an astronomer, mathematician, chemist and politician from the Austrian Empire. His

observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...

in Bicske was one of the most well-equipped observatories of Europe in the 19th century. It was destroyed during World War I. Only its main tower stands now.

Life

Nagy's proponent was Kázmér the minister for foreign affairs in the Cabinet of Bertalan Szemere, the Prime Minister of Hungary at that time. After the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, he was imprisoned in the "Hungarian Bastille" Újépület. He offered his estate and his observatory to the Austrian emperor. Soon after he emigrated to Paris. He was the first Hungarian scientist who met an American president, Andrew Jackson, and the first Hungarian traveler, who wrote detailed coverage of the life of the Native Americans.

Honors

Asteroid 115059 Nagykároly, discovered by

Krisztián Sárneczky Krisztián Sárneczky (born 6 November 1974 in Budapest) is a Hungarian people, Hungarian teacher of geography and prolific discoverer of minor planets and supernovae, researching at Konkoly Observatory in Budapest, Hungary. He is a board member o ...

and

Brigitta Sipőcz Brigitta Sipőcz is a Hungarian astronomer and discoverer of minor planets. Sipőcz works as a researcher at the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. At the time she was searching for the transit of M dwarfs. The Minor Planet Ce ...

at Piszkéstető Station in 2003, was named in his memory. The official was published by 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 ...

on 23 September 2010 ().

References

1797 births 1868 deaths People from Komárno Hungarian Calvinist and Reformed Christians Astronomers from the Austrian Empire Mathematicians from the Austrian Empire Politicians from the Austrian Empire {{Hungary-scientist-stub