Paul Oswald Ahnert: Difference between revisions

▲Paul Ahnert became famous in [[Germany]] for publishing the ''"Kalender für Sternenfreunde"'' from [[1948]] until [[1988]], an annual calendar of astronomical events.

▲Paul Ahnert was born in [[Chemnitz]] ([[monarchy|Kingdom]] of [[Saxonia]]). During the [[World War I|First World War]] he served as an ordinary German field-soldier. After the war he became a member of the [[Social Democratic Party|SPD]] and was a committed opponent of the rise of [[militarism]] and right wing [[revanchism]] in Germany. Between [[1919]] and [[1933]] he worked as an elementary school teacher. In addition to this he was an ambitious amateur astronomer and in [[1923]] his first article was published in the scientific journal ''Astronomische Nachrichten'' (AN 219 (1923), 165–170). He reported about long period [[variable star|variables]] he had observed from his private [[observatory]].

▲When [[Hitler]] became [[Chancellor]] in [[1933]] the Nazi regime removed Paul Ahnert from his post. He was arrested and imprisoned for a few months in a [[concentration camp]]. Released from imprisonment he had to earn his living by doing occasional jobs. But in [[1938]] he had a lucky escape for his real profession. [[Cuno Hoffmeister]] invited him to the [[Sonneberg Observatory]], where he worked during the [[Second World War]] as a computer (performing calculations) and assistant observer in a long term sky patrol and field survey program.

▲After the war he met the female astronomer [[Eva Ahnert-Rohlfs|Eva Rohlfs]] at Sonneberg Observatory and married her in [[1952]]. His second marriage lasted only two years, because Eva died in [[1954]] in age of 41. During the [[1950s]] Paul Ahnert advanced from an assistant observer to an astronomer with international reputation, who made important observations of variable stars and [[solar activity]].

▲He received an honorary doctor in astrophysics at the [[University of Jena]] in [[1957]]. His name became well known in Germany, when he started to edit the ''"Kalender für Sternfreunde"'', an annual calendar of astronomical events. The first volume was printed in [[1949]]. Paul Ahnert edited it for over 40 years until he retired from this task, aged 90, and passed the work to younger hands. Paul Ahnert died in age of 91 in [[Sonneberg]] (Free State [[Thuringia]]). The [[asteroid]] [[3181 Ahnert]] is named in his honor.