Joachim Herrmann (astronomer)

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Joachim Herrmann (born April 19, 1931 in Tübingen ) is a German astronomer and multiple author of astronomy and space research . For many years he was director of the Westphalian public observatory and the Recklinghausen planetarium, which he established, and expanded it from humble beginnings into a leading institute for adult education .

Life

Joachim Herrmann studied astronomy, mathematics and physics in Heidelberg and Munich . At the end of 1952 he joined the Sternfreunde Association . On January 22, 1956, he founded the observatory in Reutlingen . After working as an editor for non-fiction books at Bertelsmann- Verlag Gütersloh, he was scientific director of the Wilhelm Foerster observatory in Berlin from 1957 to 1962 .

When the city of Recklinghausen was looking for a full-time astronomer for its observatory again, he was appointed to head it in 1962. In order to make the lectures and star tours even more instructive, he expanded the observatory in 1966 with a planetarium (model ZKP 1 from Carl Zeiss , Jena). The ZKP 2 (Skymaster) model followed in 1985. In April 1996 he retired and continues to live in Recklinghausen.

Joachim Herrmann became known beyond Germany through his books and specialist articles and gave numerous lectures throughout Germany. From the 1970s until 1995 he was a regular astronomical employee of the magazine Kosmos and published in many other magazines and newspapers. He is one of the three most widely read authors of popular scientific astronomy books in the German-speaking world. From 1957 to 1966 he also edited the newsletter of the Association of Star Friends.

Awards

  • 1986: Bruno H. Bürgel Prize of the Astronomical Society for his popular presentations of astronomical research results
  • 1995: Vestischer Preis for his services to the astronomical education of the people
  • 2005: VdS medal for his life's work, especially his work in popularizing astronomy

Publications

  • DTV-Atlas Astronomy - a compact textbook, well suited for beginners in astronomy, teaching or physics. Deutscher Taschenbuch-Verlag Munich, 1st edition 1973, 15th edition 2005, 288 pages including a small star atlas, ISBN 3-423-03267-7 .
  • Which star is that? (Discover and observe stars and planets) - a modernization of the well-known star guide by Walter Widmann and Karl Schütte, which has been published by Franckh / Kosmos-Verlag Stuttgart since 1940, with short introductions to the astro sub-areas, lexicon and 150 practical star maps for free-eyed observations (5th × 12 monthly and 88 constellation cards). Furthermore addresses of public observatories and planetariums in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and a preview of special celestial events. From 24th edition 1992; 33rd revised edition 2019, ISBN 978-3-440-16275-0 .
  • Great lexicon of astronomy . 1st edition 1980 Mosaik-Verlag Munich. 4th, revised and updated edition 1986. Extended new edition as Bertelsmann Lexikon Astronomie 1993 Bertelsmann Lexikon-Verlag Gütersloh. Updated new edition as Das Grosse Lexikon der Astronomie 2001 Orbis-Verlag. ISBN 3-572-01286-4 .

Other works

  • Astronomy - a modern astronomy . Bertelsmann Verlag, Gütersloh 1960.
  • Table book for star friends . Kosmos / Franckh-Verlag, Stuttgart 1961.
  • The wrong worldview - astronomy and superstition . Kosmos / Franckh-Verlag Stuttgart, 1962. Extended and updated edition, Deutscher Taschenbuch-Verlag, Munich 1973.
  • Life on other stars? Bertelsmann-Verlag, Gütersloh 1963.
  • Birth and death in space . Kosmos / Franckh-Verlag, Stuttgart 1964.
  • Stars and space in the picture . Bibliographical Institute, Mannheim 1964.
  • Ask star friends . Kosmos / Franckh-Verlag, Stuttgart 1966.
  • Laws of the Universe . Kosmos / Franckh-Verlag, Stuttgart 1969.
  • Astronomy that concerns us (in the Current Knowledge series ). Edited by Rüdiger Proske , Bertelsmann Lexikon-Verlag, Gütersloh 1974.
  • Astrobiology . Kosmos / Franckh-Verlag, Stuttgart 1974.
  • Discover the universe (with Peter Haber). Verlagsges. Rudolf Müller, Cologne 1975.
  • The amateur astronomer . Kosmos / Franckh-Verlag, Stuttgart 1976.
  • The universe in color . Kosmos / Franckh-Verlag, Stuttgart 1980.
  • Astronomy - An Introduction to the World of the Cosmos . Bertelsmann Lexikothek-Verlag, Gütersloh 1981.
  • Meyer's Big Star Book for Children . Bibliographical Institute, Mannheim 1981.
  • Die Sterne (in the series Steinbach's Nature Guide ). Mosaik-Verlag, Munich 1985.
  • The universe in numbers . Kosmos / Franckh-Verlag, Stuttgart 1986.
  • The cosmos celestial science . Kosmos / Franckh-Verlag, Stuttgart 1986.
  • Stars - The northern sky in color . Kosmos / Franckh-Verlag, Stuttgart 1988.
  • Sky observation through the year . Mosaik-Verlag, Munich 1992.
  • Astronomy Dictionary . Deutscher Taschenbuch-Verlag, Munich 1996.

Several works have been published as translations in France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Japan, Brazil, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia and Croatia.

Radio and television broadcasts

  • Little Sky Studies (Schulfunk series), 1956/1960, SWF / Rai Sender Bozen .
  • Introduction to the school radio program of Südwestfunk, vol. 7 (1955), issue 13, pp. 75–83.
  • Monthly sky preview, 1961/1962, SFB .

Significant book editing and / or collaboration

  • Bertelsmann House Atlas . C. Bertelsmann-Verlag, Gütersloh 1960.
  • Eduard Penkala: Miracles of the Universe . Kosmos / Franckh-Verlag, Stuttgart 1961.
  • Modern Library of Knowledge Volume 1: Nature, Bertelsmann-Verlag . Gütersloh 1968.
  • Dramatic race to the moon . Supplementary supplement to stars are getting closer - encyclopedia of space travel . Volume 2, Bertelsmann-Verlag, Gütersloh 1968/1969.
  • Bertelsmann Lexikothek . From around 1970, Bertelsmann Lexikothek-Verlag, Gütersloh.
  • Encyclopedia 2000 . 12 volumes + supplementary volumes, 1970–1973, Wissen-Verlag, Munich.
  • Atlas International . Bertelsmann Publishing Group, Gütersloh 1972.
  • Hans W. Gaebert: The great moment in astronomy . Loewes Verlag, Bayreuth 1972.
  • Lexicon library: spectrum of natural sciences . Bertelsmann Lexikon-Verlag, Gütersloh 1976.
  • Polaris Orbis Stellarum . Polaris Publications Hans-Thomas Wagner, Lengerich 1985.
  • Brian Harpur: Halley's Comet . Wolfgang Krüger Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1985.
  • Irene Naumczyk: Heavenly Walk with Audio Cassette . Kosmos / Franckh-Verlag, Stuttgart 1988.
  • Uwe Schultz (Ed.): Disc, sphere, black hole . Publishing house CH Beck, Munich 1990.
  • Lexicon of Parasciences . Lit-Verlag, Münster / Hamburg / London 1999.
  • Herve Burillier: The most beautiful heavenly phenomena . Mosaik-Verlag, Munich 2001.

(Co) translations

  • Astronomy - planets, stars, galaxies . Bertelsmann-Verlag, Gütersloh 1984.
  • Iain Nichelson / Patrick Moore: The Universe . Mosaik-Verlag, Munich 1987.
  • Patrick Moore : The Great Atlas of the Universe . Mosaik-Verlag, Munich 1988/1990.
  • Fascination with nature and technology . Bertelsmann-Lexikon-Verlag, Gütersloh 1996.
  • The knowledge of our time . Bertelsmann-Lexikon-Verlag, Gütersloh 1998.

Literature and Sources

  • A. Kunert in: Stars and Space 12/1986.
  • R. Lüst in: Communications of the Astronomical Society, No. 67/1986.
  • European Biographical Directory 1991-1992, Vol. 1, p. 1006.
  • Kürschner's German Non-Fiction Calendar 2001/2002, pp. 167/168.
  • B. Steinücken: 50 years of the Recklinghausen public observatory 1953–2003 (Recklinghausen, 2003).
  • W. Steinicke in: Journal for Astronomy No. 19, I / 2006.
  • B. Steinücken: 40 years of the Recklinghausen Planetarium 1966–2006 (Recklinghausen, 2006).

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Herrmann, Joachim
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German astronomer and author of astronomy and space research
DATE OF BIRTH April 19, 1931
PLACE OF BIRTH Tübingen