Zdeněk Horský
Zdeněk Horský (born March 11, 1929 in Prague ; † May 8, 1988 there ) was a Czech historian and astronomer .
Life
Horský first studied philosophy and musicology at the Philosophical Faculty of Charles University in Prague , then also astronomy and mathematics at the Natural Science Faculty, where he also received his doctorate . The connection between the humanities and the natural sciences determined his entire subsequent professional life.
- 1956-1970 he worked at the Institute for History of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences (ČSAV).
- 1970–1973 he moved to the Czech Astronomical Society (ČAS) at the Academy of Sciences (ČSAV).
- After 1973 he worked at the Astronomical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic
He died in Prague on May 8, 1988 at the age of 59.
Services
Zdeněk Horský's main interests were astronomy of the 16th and 17th centuries as well as the works of Nicolaus Copernicus , Johannes Kepler , Tycho Brahe , Thaddaeus Hagecius and science at the court of Rudolf II . Another interest was the study of historical scientific instruments . In his interdisciplinary work, which in principle skilfully combines the technical environment (technology, astronomy and mathematics) with humanities (history, art and philosophy), he became one of the most recognized authorities of his time.
A typical example of this is a work that explains the cosmological symbolism of Charles Bridge in Prague. His conclusions were generally accepted in this sense.
For a quarter of a century he devoted himself to researching the Prague town hall clock . His main contribution is the justification of the pre-dating of the astronomical clock in the pre- Hussite period , namely in the year 1410. His research then flowed into the popular scientific book “Prague Astronomical Clock” ( “Pražský Orloj” ), which was published shortly after his death was released in 1988. Horský describes the clock without any mythical accessories, as a masterpiece of Czech art and technology and as a unique Gothic monument .
The early death of Zdeněk Horský meant that a number of his works were not published. This also includes an annotated translation of Nicolai Copernici de revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri sex .
Awards and honors
In 1996 the asteroid (3827) Zdenekhorský was named after him.
Works
- Kepler v Praze. Mladá fronta, Prague, 1980
- Vesmír. Mladá Fronta, Prague 1983
- Pražský clock. Panorama, Prague 1988
- Koperník a české země: soubor studií o renesanční kosmologii a nové vědě. Pavel Mervart, Červený Kostelec 2011, ISBN 978-80-87378-87-8
Web links
- Literature by and about Zdeněk Horský in the catalog of the German National Library
- Literature and other media by and about Zdeněk Horský in the catalog of the National Library of the Czech Republic
- Publications by Z. Horsky in the Astrophysics Data System
- O. Gingerich : Zdeněk Horský (1929-1988) Journal for the History of Astronomy, Vol. 19 (1988), No. 3 (Aug.), p. 215 (obituary, English)
- Marušák: Zdeněk Horský (Czech)
- ČVUT: Zdeněk Horský (Czech)
- Czech Astronomical Society: Memory of Zdeněk Horský (Czech)
Individual evidence
- ^ Zdeněk Horský: Pražský Orloj . Panorama, Praha 1988 (cover)
- ^ Zdeněk Horský: Thaddaeus Hagecius (1525 - 1600) , Říše hvězd, Vol. 56, p. 228-229., 1975
- ↑ Zdeněk Horský, Otilie Škopová: Astronomy Gnomonics, a catalog of instruments of the 15th to the 19th centuries in the collections of the National Technical Museum , Prague 1968
- ↑ Zdeněk Horský: založení Karlova mostu a kosmologická symbolika Staroměstské mostecké věže , Praha 1979
- ^ Zdeněk Horský, Emanuel Procházka: Pražský orloj ; Acta historiae rerum naturalium nec non technicarum IX; Československá akademie věd; Prague 1964
- ↑ Minor Planet Circ. 27733
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Horský, Zdeněk |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Czech historian and astronomer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 11, 1929 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Prague |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 8, 1988 |
| Place of death | Prague |