Maria Wähnl

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Maria Wähnl in the Urania observatory, 1957

Maria Anna Wähnl (born December 9, 1908 in Vienna ; † December 8, 1989 there ) was an Austrian astronomer .

Life

Maria Wähnl attended elementary school and high school in Vienna. She then studied astronomy at the University of Vienna . Her dissertation , written in 1938 with Adalbert Prey, dealt with binary star motion in star clusters . After completing her studies, she learned shorthand and typing and started working as a mathematician in a Viennese bank. Shortly afterwards she worked in the aerodynamics group at the Junkers aircraft factory in Dessau and then moved to the aircraft and vehicle manufacturer Messerschmitt AG in Augsburg. After the end of the war she returned to Vienna, where she was initially employed at the Vienna University Observatory as a substitute and in 1949 as an arithmetic assistant. In 1953 she was given the management of the Urania public observatory , which was only equipped with rental telescopes . Despite considerable difficulties, she was able to revitalize the observatory and start educational activities. In 1957, under her leadership, the new dome of the Urania observatory was opened with a Cassegrain reflecting telescope with an aperture of 26 cm and a focal length of 528 cm. From 1958 she published the Astronomical Yearbook of the Urania Observatory for five years and from 1962 to 1968 the Astronomical Messages of the Urania Observatory . In 1969 she retired, but held lectures and courses at the Urania People's Education Center until 1984.

Maria Wähnl was buried at the Vienna Central Cemetery .

Publications

  • A theoretical investigation into the formation hypothesis of star clusters. In: Meeting reports of the Austrian Academy of Sciences Mathem. = Naturw. Class. Section IIa, Volume 158, 6-10 Heft, Vienna (1950).
  • Astronomical yearbook of the Urania Observatory Vienna. Years: 1st 1958, 2nd 1959, 3rd 1960, 4th 1961, 5th 1962. Volksbildungshaus Wiener Urania, Vienna.
  • Astronomical reports from the Urania Observatory Vienna. Years: 1st 1958, 2nd 1959, 3rd 1960, 4th 1961, 5th 1962, 6th 1963, 7th / 8th 1964/65, 9-11. 1966-1968. Volksbildungshaus Wiener Urania, Vienna.
  • The Leopold Figl Observatory for Astrophysics at the University Observatory on Mitterschöpfl, southeast of Vienna. In: Communications of the Astronomical Working Group of Sternfreunde Mainz and the surrounding area. Volume 8, 1969.

literature

  • Hermann Mucke : Dr. Maria Wähnl 80 years . In: Astronomisches Büro Wien (ed.): Der Sternenbote. Austrian monthly astronomical journal. ISSN  0039-1271 31st year. tape 388/1988 . Vienna December 1988, p. 253-254 .
  • Hermann Mucke: Dr. Maria Wähnl in memory . In: Astronomisches Büro Wien (ed.): Der Sternenbote. Austrian monthly astronomical journal. ISSN  0039-1271 33rd year. tape 401/1990 . Vienna January 1990, p. 13-15 .
  • Wilhelm Brüggenthies, Wolfgang R. Dick: Biographical Index of Astronomy . In: Acta Historica Astronomiae Vol. 26. ISSN  1422-8521 . Harri Deutsch, Frankfurt am Main 2005, ISBN 3-8171-1769-8 , pp. 456 .
  • Wilhelm Petrasch: The Vienna Urania (From the roots of adult education to lifelong learning) . Böhlau, Vienna 2007, ISBN 978-3-205-77562-1 , p. 261-263 .
  • Daniela Angetter, Nora Pärr (ed.): Looking back into the universe (The history of Austrian astronomy in biographies) . Austrian State Archives, Vienna 2009, ISBN 978-3-902575-27-2 , pp. 301-302 .
  • Friedrich Wilhelm Schembor: The astronomer Friedrich Viktor Schembor and the Vienna Urania observatory . In: Acta Historica Astronomiae Vol. 39. ISSN  1422-8521 . Harri Deutsch, Frankfurt am Main 2010, ISBN 978-3-8171-1866-3 , pp. 240-252 .
  • Anneliese Schnell: Wähnl, Maria Emma . In: Ilse Korotin, Nastasja Stupnicki (Hrsg.): Biographies of important Austrian scientists. Böhlau, Vienna 2018, ISBN 978-3-205-20588-3 , pp. 876-877 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Baptismal register 1907-1908: Parish Vienna-Wieden, St. Elisabeth . tape 01-26 , pp. 0072-0073 ( matricula-online.eu ).
  2. ↑ Anneliese Schnell: Wähnl, Maria Emma . In: Ilse Korotin, Nastasja Stupnicki (Hrsg.): Biographies of important Austrian scientists . Böhlau, 2018, p. 876-877 .
  3. ↑ Maria Wähnl in the search for the deceased at friedhoefewien.at
personal data
SURNAME Wähnl, Maria
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Wähnl, Maria Anna (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian astronomer
DATE OF BIRTH December 9, 1908
PLACE OF BIRTH Vienna
DATE OF DEATH December 8, 1989
Place of death Vienna