Paul Wild (; 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.

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.Lecture by Paul Wild about Fritz Zwicky, his mentor at Caltech

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".

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: 4 periodic comets: 63P/Wild, 81P/Wild, 86P/Wild and 116P/Wild 3 parabolic comets: C/1957 U1, C/1967 C2 and C/1968 U1 The Apollo asteroid 1866 Sisyphus and the two Amor asteroids 2368 Beltrovata and 3552 Don Quixote 41 supernovae, as well as 8 co-discoveries. His first discovered supernova was SN 1954A in NGC 4214, while his most recent was SN 1994M in NGC 4493.

The best-known discovery of a comet occurred on 6 January 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.

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

See also List of minor planet discoverers

External links

Astronomical Institute of the University of Berne

References