Speaker
Description
Johann III Bernoulli, director of the Berlin Observatory, paid tribute to the observatories of present-day Austria with detailed descriptions of their construction and instruments in his extensive travel descriptions. Maximilian Hell (1720-1793), Vienna University Observatory Director, as well as Placidus Fixlmillner (1721-1791), Director of the "Astronomical Tower" of Kremsmünster Abbey in Upper Austria, are of particular interest.
In terms of institutional history, not only the observatories will be dealt with, but also Bernoulli's long-standing place of activity, the Berlin Academy of Sciences. Networking between the research institutions mentioned was given by Hell's participation in the world-wide project for the observation of the transit of Venus in 1761 and 1769. The discovery of Uranus in 1781 led to lively correspondence. A high degree of internationality was achieved through the publication of astronomical yearbooks.