Frantisek Nusl
Encyclopedia
František Nušl (ˈfrantɪʃɛk ˈnuʃl̩; 3 December 1867, Jindřichův Hradec
– 17 September 1951, Prague
) was a Czech
astronomer
and mathematician
.
and the historian Josef Goll, with whom he collaborated on Otto's encyclopedia
. After 1893 he taught maths on various high schools and met with J. J. Frič, a manufacturer of precision instruments. In 1898 Frič bought a large piece of land in Ondřejov, 50 km south-east from Prague, where they established an astronomical observatory. Since 1904 Nušl was assistant professor of astronomy at the Charles University of Prague and after 1908 professor of mathematics at the Czech Technical University in Prague
(ČVUT). In 1917, Nušl was among the founders of the Czech Astronomical Society, whose president he was to became later. In 1928 Frič dedicated the well-equipped Ondřejov Observatory
to the Charles university and to the Czechoslovak state and Nušl became its first head. He was a member and temporarily vice-chairman of the International Astronomical Union
and participated in establishing the popular Štefánik's Observatory on the Petřín
hill in Prague. Nušl was a gifted musician, he played viola and was member of a Prague chorus. He was married and had three children.
and in geodetical
instruments. His circumzenithal, jointly developed with Frič, was an ingenious portable instrument used to precisely determine geodetical coordinates. The method was based on the properties of mercury
horizon and allowed to establish local coordinates with an error about 10 m, surpassed only much later by satellite navigation. To reduce the error caused by the observer, Nušl developed an "impersonal micrometer": instead of pushing a button in the moment of the passage of a star, the observer set up the instrument to follow exactly the movement of the star and the moment of the passage has been signalled automatically.
Jindrichuv Hradec
Jindřichův Hradec is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has approximately 22,700 inhabitants.- History :The first written mention of the town is in 1220. Before that, it was probably a Slavic settlement. At the end of the 12th century more people arrived...
– 17 September 1951, Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
) was a Czech
Czech people
Czechs, or Czech people are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries...
astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
and mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
.
Life
After high school in Jindřichův Hradec, he studied physics and astronomy in Prague, where he met among others the future president of Czechoslovakia, T. G. Masaryk, the linguist Jan GebauerJan Gebauer
Jan Gebauer was a significant Czech expert on Czech studies and one of the most renowned Czech scientists of all times. His scientific work was influenced by the methods of positivism.-Biography:...
and the historian Josef Goll, with whom he collaborated on Otto's encyclopedia
Otto's encyclopedia
Otto's encyclopedia , published at the turn of the 20th century, is the largest encyclopedia written in the Czech language. For its scope and the quality of the writing, it is comparable to the greatest world encyclopedias of its time, such as Encyclopædia Britannica.-The first edition:At the...
. After 1893 he taught maths on various high schools and met with J. J. Frič, a manufacturer of precision instruments. In 1898 Frič bought a large piece of land in Ondřejov, 50 km south-east from Prague, where they established an astronomical observatory. Since 1904 Nušl was assistant professor of astronomy at the Charles University of Prague and after 1908 professor of mathematics at the Czech Technical University in Prague
Czech Technical University in Prague
Czech Technical University in Prague is one of the largest universities in the Czech Republic, and the oldest institute of technology in Central Europe....
(ČVUT). In 1917, Nušl was among the founders of the Czech Astronomical Society, whose president he was to became later. In 1928 Frič dedicated the well-equipped Ondřejov Observatory
Ondrejov Observatory
The Ondřejov Observatory is the principal observatory of the Astronomical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. It is located near the village of Ondřejov, 35 km southeast of Prague....
to the Charles university and to the Czechoslovak state and Nušl became its first head. He was a member and temporarily vice-chairman of the International Astronomical Union
International Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union IAU is a collection of professional astronomers, at the Ph.D. level and beyond, active in professional research and education in astronomy...
and participated in establishing the popular Štefánik's Observatory on the Petřín
Petrín
Petřín is a hill in the center of Prague, Czech Republic. It rises some 130 m above the left bank of the Vltava River. The hill, almost entirely covered with parks, is a favorite recreational area for the inhabitants of Prague...
hill in Prague. Nušl was a gifted musician, he played viola and was member of a Prague chorus. He was married and had three children.
Work
Nušl was a very gifted experimenter, particularly interested in geometrical opticsGeometrical optics
Geometrical optics, or ray optics, describes light propagation in terms of "rays". The "ray" in geometric optics is an abstraction, or "instrument", which can be used to approximately model how light will propagate. Light rays are defined to propagate in a rectilinear path as far as they travel in...
and in geodetical
Geodesy
Geodesy , also named geodetics, a branch of earth sciences, is the scientific discipline that deals with the measurement and representation of the Earth, including its gravitational field, in a three-dimensional time-varying space. Geodesists also study geodynamical phenomena such as crustal...
instruments. His circumzenithal, jointly developed with Frič, was an ingenious portable instrument used to precisely determine geodetical coordinates. The method was based on the properties of mercury
Mercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
horizon and allowed to establish local coordinates with an error about 10 m, surpassed only much later by satellite navigation. To reduce the error caused by the observer, Nušl developed an "impersonal micrometer": instead of pushing a button in the moment of the passage of a star, the observer set up the instrument to follow exactly the movement of the star and the moment of the passage has been signalled automatically.
Awards and honors
- Since 1999, the František Nušl Award has been given by the Czech Astronomical Society as a lifetime achievement award.
- AsteroidAsteroidAsteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
3424 Nušl3424 Nušl3424 Nušl is a main belt asteroid with an orbital period of 1486.0746140 days .The asteroid was discovered on February 14, 1982.-References:...
was named for him. - The crater NušlNušl (crater)Nušl is an impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon. It lies just to the north of the crater Trumpler, and to the west of Shayn....
on the MoonMoonThe Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
is named after him. - The astronomical observatory in his native town Jindřichův Hradec bears his name.
External links
- Česká astronomická společnost – František Nušl Award (in Czech)
- František Nušl observatory in Jindřichův Hradec (in Czech)
- Short biography (Masaryk universityMasaryk UniversityMasaryk University is the second largest university in the Czech Republic, a member of the Compostela Group and the Utrecht Network. Founded in 1919 in Brno as the third Czech university , it now consists of nine faculties and 42,182 students...
) (in Czech)