Max Waldmeier Explained

Max Waldmeier
Birth Date:18 April 1912
Nationality:Swiss
Occupation:Astronomer

Max Waldmeier (18 April 1912 – 26 September 2000) was a Swiss astronomer, known for his research on sunspots. 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 in 1849.[1]

Legacy

Waldmeier was known for his "stubborn traditionalism" about how sunspots should be studied.[1] He has been variously described as "one of the leading personalities in solar physics of the 20th century"[2] and "the most arrogant astronomer in Switzerland in the mid-20th century."[1]

Notes and References

  1. Jonathon Keats (2015) "The 315-Year-Old Science Experiment" Nautilus, 26 March 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  2. Stenflo . Jan Olof . 2000-11-02 . Obituary: Max Waldmeier 1912-2000 . dead . SolarNews: The Electronic Newsletter of the Solar Physics Division, American Astronomical Society . 2000 . 21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170202013301/http://solarnews.nso.edu/2000/20001102.html#SECTION00060000000000000000 . 2017-02-02.