Paul Wild (Swiss astronomer)

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Paul Wild
Paul Wild at University of Bern in 2006
Born(1925-10-05)5 October 1925
Died2 July 2014(2014-07-02) (aged 88)
Bern, Switzerland
NationalitySwiss
Alma materETH Zürich
Known fordiscoveries of comets and asteroids
Scientific career
FieldsAstronomy

Paul Wild (German: [ˈvɪlt]; 5 October 1925 – 2 July 2014) was a Swiss astronomer and director of the Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern, who discovered numerous comets, asteroids and supernovae.[1][2]

Biography

Wild was born on 5 October 1925 in the village of Wädenswil near Zürich, Switzerland. From 1944 through 1950, he studied mathematics and physics at the ETH Zurich. Thereafter, he worked at the California Institute of Technology where he researched galaxies and supernovas under the leadership of countryman Fritz Zwicky from 1951 through 1955.[2][3]

At at the Zimmerwald Observatory, near Bern, Wild made his first cometary discovery C/1957 U1 (1957 IX) on 2 October 1957. The parabolic comet was later named "Latyshev-Wild–Burnham".[4][5]

Professor Wild became director of the Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern in 1980, and remained in this position until 1991. He died on 2 July 2014 at the age of 88 in Bern.

Discoveries

During countless nights Wild observed the skies at the Zimmerwald Observatory near Bern and discovered numerous asteroids, comets and supernovae including:

The best known discovery of a comet occurred on January 6, 1978. This Jupiter-family comet was designated 1978 XI, P/WILD 2 or 81P/Wild. WILD 2 was chosen by NASA for its Stardust mission launched in 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.

List of discovered asteroids

He is credited by the Minor Planet Center with the discovery of 94 numbered minor planets during 1961–1994, one of which was a co-discovery with Czech-born Swiss astronomer Ivo Baueršíma.[6]

Discoveries by Paul Wild (i)
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
Discoveries by Paul Wild (ii)
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
Discoveries by Paul Wild (iii)
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
  1. 1 with Ivo Baueršíma

External links

References

  1. ^ Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (1941) Wild. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 156. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3. Retrieved July 2016. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. ^ a b "Ein Stern ist erloschen" [A shining star has fallen] (in German). Der Bund. 30 July 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  3. ^ Lecture by Paul Wild about Fritz Zwicky, his mentor at Caltech
  4. ^ "History of the Zmmerwald Observatory". University of Bern. Retrieved July 2016. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  5. ^ "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: C/1957 U1 (Latyshev-Wild-Burnham)". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved July 2016. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  6. ^ "Minor Planet Discoverers (by number)". Minor Planet Center. 23 May 2016. Retrieved June 2016. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)