Paul Wild (Swiss astronomer)

Paul Wild

Paul Wild at University of Bern in 2006
Born (1925-10-05)5 October 1925
Wädenswil, Switzerland
Died 2 July 2014(2014-07-02) (aged 88)
Bern, Switzerland
Nationality Swiss
Fields Astronomy
Alma mater ETH Zürich
Known for discoveries of comets and asteroids

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]

1657 Roemera 6 March 1961 list
1687 Glarona 19 September 1965 list
1748 Mauderli 7 September 1966 list
1768 Appenzella 23 September 1965 list
1773 Rumpelstilz 17 April 1968 list
1775 Zimmerwald 13 May 1969 list
1803 Zwicky 6 February 1967 list
1830 Pogson 17 April 1968 list
1831 Nicholson 17 April 1968 list
1838 Ursa 20 October 1971 list
1839 Ragazza 20 October 1971 list
1844 Susilva 30 October 1972 list
1845 Helewalda 30 October 1972 list
1860 Barbarossa 28 September 1973 list
1866 Sisyphus 5 December 1972 list
1891 Gondola 11 September 1969 list
1892 Lucienne 16 September 1971 list
1893 Jakoba 20 October 1971 list
1906 Naef 5 September 1972 list
1911 Schubart 25 October 1973 list
1935 Lucerna 2 September 1973 list
1936 Lugano 24 November 1973 list
1937 Locarno 19 December 1973 list
1938 Lausanna 19 April 1974 list
1960 Guisan 25 October 1973 list
1961 Dufour 19 November 1973 list
1962 Dunant 24 November 1973 list
2001 Einstein 5 March 1973 list
2005 Hencke 2 September 1973 list
2029 Binomi 11 September 1969 list
2033 Basilea 6 February 1973 list
2034 Bernoulli 5 March 1973 list
2037 Tripaxeptalis 25 October 1973 list
2038 Bistro 24 November 1973 list
2040 Chalonge 19 April 1974 list
2080 Jihlava 27 February 1976 list
2081 Sázava 27 February 1976 list
2087 Kochera 28 December 1975 list
2088 Sahlia 27 February 1976 list
2129 Cosicosi 27 September 1973 list
2138 Swissair 17 April 1968 list
2151 Hadwiger 3 November 1977 list
2152 Hannibal 19 November 1978 list
2175 Andrea Doria 12 October 1977 list
2218 Wotho 10 January 1975 list
2229 Mezzarco 7 September 1977 list
2239 Paracelsus 13 September 1978 list
2262 Mitidika 10 September 1978 list
2303 Retsina 24 March 1979 list
2320 Blarney 29 August 1979 list
2337 Boubin 22 October 1976 list
2353 Alva 27 October 1975 list
2368 Beltrovata 4 September 1977 list
2429 Schürer 12 October 1977 list
2481 Bürgi 18 October 1977 list
2517 Orma 28 September 1968 list
2521 Heidi 28 February 1979 list
2565 Grögler 12 October 1977 list
2731 Cucula 21 May 1982 list
2843 Yeti 7 December 1975 list
2868 Upupa 30 October 1972 list
2914 Glärnisch 19 September 1965 list
2950 Rousseau 9 November 1974 list
2970 Pestalozzi 27 October 1978 list
2989 Imago 22 October 1976 list
3021 Lucubratio 6 February 1967 list
3026 Sarastro 12 October 1977 list
3060 Delcano 12 September 1982 list
3258 Somnium 8 September 1983 list
3329 Golay 12 September 1985 list
3468 Urgenta 7 January 1975 list
3491 Fridolin 30 September 1984 list
3552 Don Quixote 26 September 1983 list
3582 Cyrano 2 October 1986 list
3928 Randa 4 August 1981 list
4323 Hortulus 27 August 1981 list
4471 Graculus 8 November 1978 list
5369 Virgiugum 22 September 1985 list
5708 Melancholia 12 October 1977 list
5710 Silentium 18 October 1977 list
5986 Xenophon 2 October 1969 list
6475 Refugium 29 September 1987 list
6620 Peregrina 25 October 1973 list
7081 Ludibunda 30 August 1987 list
8061 Gaudium 27 October 1975 list
(9149) 1977 TD1 12 October 1977 list
(9302) 1985 TB3 12 October 1985 list
9711 Želetava 7 August 1972 list[A]
9716 Severina 27 October 1975 list
(10488) 1985 RS1 12 September 1985 list
13025 Zürich 28 January 1989 list
14826 Nicollier 16 September 1985 list
(16415) 1987 QE7 21 August 1987 list
19251 Totziens 3 September 1994 list
Co-discovery made with:
A I. Baueršíma

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 1 July 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Ein Stern ist erloschen" [A shining star has fallen] (in German). Der Bund. July 30, 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 1 July 2016.
  5. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: C/1957 U1 (Latyshev-Wild-Burnham)". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  6. "Minor Planet Discoverers (by number)". Minor Planet Center. 23 May 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
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