Hermann Brück | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 15 August 1905 |
| Died | 4 March 2000(2000-03-04) (aged 94) |
| Alma mater | LMU Munich University of Bonn University of Kiel |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy |
| Institutions | University of Edinburgh Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies University of Cambridge Humboldt University of Berlin |
| Doctoral advisor | Arnold Sommerfeld |
Hermann Alexander BrückCBEFRSEGCSG (15 August 1905 – 4 March 2000) was a German-born astronomer, who spent the great portion of his career in various positions in Britain and Ireland.
Hermann Brück was born inBerlin. His father was Hermann Heinrich Brück and his mother, Margaret.[1]
Young Hermann was educated at theKaiserin Augusta Gymnasium in Berlin-Charlottenburg, a school specialising in the Classics (Latin andGreek), where he also had excellent teachers in mathematics and physics.[2]
From 1924-28, Brück was educated at theUniversity of Kiel, theUniversity of Bonn, and theLudwig Maximilian University of Munich. His doctoral work on the wave mechanics of crystals was under the supervision ofArnold Sommerfeld. His interest in astronomy came early in life, and he turned his attention to astronomical spectroscopy. He was granted his PhD at Munich in 1928.[3][4][5]
Upon graduation fromMunich, Brück followed his friendAlbrecht Unsöld to thePotsdam Astrophysical Observatory; Unsöld had earned his doctorate the year before, also under Sommerfeld. While there, Brück participated in the physics colloquium at theHumboldt University of Berlin with the physicistsMax von Laue andAlbert Einstein and the astronomerWalter Grotrian.[citation needed]
With growing difficulties underNational Socialism, Brück left Germany in 1936 to take a temporary research assistantship at theVatican Observatory. In 1937, he moved to theUniversity of Cambridge to join the circle of modern astrophysicists aroundArthur Eddington. In time, Brück became Assistant Director of the Observatories andJohn Couch Adams Astronomer, specialising in solar spectroscopy. Under his tenure, he taught a course in classical astronomy and started the student astronomical society, which fostered the careers of many astronomers.[5][6]
In 1947, at the invitation ofÉamon de Valera, Brück moved toDublin to direct theDunsink Observatory, which was part of theDublin Institute for Advanced Studies, where he associated withErwin Schrödinger. In 1950, the Observatory, along with theRoyal Irish Academy, hosted the first meeting of theRoyal Astronomical Society.[5]
In 1955, theInternational Astronomical Union held their triennial Assembly in Dublin. At this gathering, the Observatory demonstrated photoelectric equipment for photometry, which had been developed by M.J. Smyth, who had been Brück's student in Cambridge. Also displayed was the UV solar spectroscopy which extended the Utrecht Atlas and formed part of the revised Rowland tables of theSolar spectrum; Brück's second wife,Dr. Mary Brück (née Conway), was a leading figure in this work.[5]
In 1957, Brück moved to theUniversity of Edinburgh to beAstronomer Royal for Scotland. With his vision and drive, he transformed theRoyal Observatory into an internationally ranked centre of research. He put together a team of astronomers and engineers headed initially by P.B. Fellgett, and later byVincent Reddish.[5]
This team created the automated instrumentation for scanning stellar and intergalactic images. This technology enabled spectra to be reduced in minutes rather than months, which gave astronomers time to focus on other activities. The team also advanced the technology for the remote operation of telescopes. In addition to his scientific duties, he expanded the teaching of astronomy with a new honours degree in Astrophysics initiated in 1967. Upon first arriving in Edinburgh, he started the student astronomical society and gave it access to the Observatory. For a period, Brück served as Dean of the Faculty of Science.[5]
Brück retired in 1975. At this time, his second wife and colleague, Dr. Mary T. Conway,[7] initiated a historical study of nineteenth-century astronomy, which resulted in the publication of a book onCharles Piazzi Smyth, one of Brück's predecessors.[5]
Their work resulted in a book on the history of Edinburgh Astronomy, and a paper inVistas in Astronomy on Lord Crawford's Observatory in Dunecht, which was the parent to the nineteenth-century rebirth of the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh.[5]
Throughout his career, Brück served as a member and councillor of thePontifical Academy of Sciences.[5]
He died at home inPenicuik.[8]
