Technikatörténeti szemle 11. (1979)

TANULMÁNYOK - Bartha Lajos, ifj.: Régi magyarországi csillagászok listája. 2.

LAJOS BARTHA: HUNGARIAN ASTRONOMERS FROM THE XHIth CENTURY

ON. PART II.

Tne two published works (Technikatörténeti Szemle, Vol. VIII. and XI.) contain the names of altogether 179 astronomers or people dealing with astronomy. Among these 150 Hungarians are found, of which 18 were working abroad, while 29 persons were foreigners who spet a shorter or longer period in Hungary.

From the table it becomes evident that 1. the number of astronomers in Europe and in Hungary as well increased suddenly from the XVth century onwards, 2. the number of people dealing with astronomy doubled itself from century to century. The same regularity is found for the Hungarian astronomers too. It can be stated that a small decrease in the rate of multiplication of the number of Hungarian astronomers appeared at the end of the XVIIth and the beginning of the XVIIIth century, but generally speaking the Hungarian development followed in each period the European tendencies. In the second half of the XVth century astronomers from abroad are still outnumbering the Hungarian astronomers, in later periods, however, the number of Hungarians working abroad increased. It is noteworthy that in spite of the Turkish occupation of the country (1541—1686) andthe grave military-political situation during the Rákóczi liberation war notwithstanding no serious fallback could be detected relative to the European progress ofastronomy In the second half of the XIX th century, on the other hand, Hungarian astronomy ranked immediately after ter the leading countries, like Germany and the United States, mainly with respect to the ratio of scientific publications. In this period Hungarian astronomers had an important role in the advancement of astrophysics.

The following phases can be established in the development of Hungarian astronomy:

Between the XVth and XVIIth centuries Hungary is primarily reproducing the Western and Southern-European scientific results and developments. During the XVIth and XVIIth centuries the calendar-calculators and teachers performed an important political activity, because the unified cultural features provided a close connection among the three separated parts of the country (Turkish territory, Habsburg kingdom and Transylvanian principality).

From the XVIIIth century till the middle of XIXth century the Hungarian astronomers already busy doing independent work in the field of geodesy-cartography and in doing observations. A number of team became well-known in foreign countries as well (Ignác Szentmártony, Miksa Hell, etc.).

From the middle XIXth century the Hungarian astronomers played already an initiative role, mainly in the advancement of astrophysics (Miklós Konkoly-Thege, Jenő Gothard, Gyula Fényi, Béla Harkányi, Radó Kövesligethy, Lajos Terkán.).

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