Max Waldmeier (18 April 1912 – 26 September 2000) was a Swiss

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 ...

, known for his research on

sunspots Sunspots are phenomena on the Sun's photosphere that appear as temporary spots that are darker than the surrounding areas. They are regions of reduced surface temperature caused by concentrations of magnetic flux that inhibit convection. ...

. As director of the Zurich Observatory until 1980, Waldmeier insisted on counting sunspots by eye over automated methods, using a Fraunhofer refracting telescope installed by Zurich Observatory director

Rudolf Wolf Johann Rudolf Wolf (7 July 1816 – 6 December 1893) was a Swiss astronomer and mathematician best known for his research on sunspots. Wolf was born in Fällanden, near Zurich. He studied at the universities of Zurich, Vienna, and Berlin. Encke ...

in 1849.Jonathon Keats (2015
"The 315-Year-Old Science Experiment"
''Nautilus'', 26 March 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2016.

Legacy

Waldmeier was known for his "stubborn traditionalism" about how sunspots should be studied. He has been variously described as "one of the leading personalities in solar physics of the 20th century"Jan Olof Stenflo (2000
"Obituary: Max Waldmeier 1912-2000"
''SolarNews: The Electronic Newsletter of the Solar Physics Division,

American Astronomical Society The American Astronomical Society (AAS, sometimes spoken as "double-A-S") is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC. The primary objective of the AAS is to promote the adv ...

'', 2000(21): ed. Stephen R. Walton. 2 November 2000. Retrieved 11 June 2016. and "the most arrogant astronomer in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

in the mid-20th century."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waldmeier, Max 20th-century Swiss astronomers Academic staff of ETH Zurich 1912 births 2000 deaths