Alois Purgathofer
Encyclopedia
Alois Purgathofer was an Austrian astronomer at the Vienna Observatory
from 1954 to 1984. He mainly worked on the photometry
of galactic star cluster
s, but also on the asteroid
51 Nemausa
. In 1969 the Leopold Figl observatory was built on the Mitterschöpfl mountain
under his technical and astronomical advice, containing a 1.5 m Ritchey-Chrétien telescope. His knowledge of astronomical instruments was legendary, especially of optical and electronic devices and of image converters. He died unexpectedly on March 13, 1984 during a business trip to the Calar Alto Observatory
in Almeria, Spain
.
In his honour Rudolf Pressberger named his self built observatory in Klosterneuburg-Kierling “Purgathofer-Sternwarte”, and also the asteroid 5341 was named “Purgathofer”.
Vienna Observatory
Universitäts-Sternwarte Wien is an astronomical observatory in Vienna, Austria. It is part of the University of Vienna. The first observatory was built in 1753–1754 on the roof of one of the university buildings....
from 1954 to 1984. He mainly worked on the photometry
Photometry (astronomy)
Photometry is a technique of astronomy concerned with measuring the flux, or intensity of an astronomical object's electromagnetic radiation...
of galactic star cluster
Star cluster
Star clusters or star clouds are groups of stars. Two types of star clusters can be distinguished: globular clusters are tight groups of hundreds of thousands of very old stars which are gravitationally bound, while open clusters, more loosely clustered groups of stars, generally contain less than...
s, but also on the asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
51 Nemausa
51 Nemausa
51 Nemausa is a large asteroid-belt asteroid similar to 1 Ceres in composition. It was discovered by one "A. Laurent", an obscure figure about whom little is known. Laurent made the discovery from the private observatory of Benjamin Valz in Nîmes, France. The house, at 32 rue Nationale in Nîmes,...
. In 1969 the Leopold Figl observatory was built on the Mitterschöpfl mountain
Schöpfl
Schöpfl is the highest hill in the Wienerwald mountain range , the north-easternmost part of the Alps. Geologically, it belongs to the flysch Alps....
under his technical and astronomical advice, containing a 1.5 m Ritchey-Chrétien telescope. His knowledge of astronomical instruments was legendary, especially of optical and electronic devices and of image converters. He died unexpectedly on March 13, 1984 during a business trip to the Calar Alto Observatory
Calar Alto Observatory
The Calar Alto Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated jointly by the Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie in Heidelberg, Germany, and the Instituto...
in Almeria, Spain
Almería (province)
-History:The rich customs and Fiestas of the denizens retain links deep into the past, unto the Moors, the Romans, the Greeks, and the Phoenicians.During the taifa era, it was ruled by the Moor Banu al-Amiri from 1012 to 1038, briefly annexed by Valencia , then given by Zaragoza to the Banu Sumadih...
.
In his honour Rudolf Pressberger named his self built observatory in Klosterneuburg-Kierling “Purgathofer-Sternwarte”, and also the asteroid 5341 was named “Purgathofer”.