Maximilian Hell

Maximilian Hell (in Hungarian: Hell Miksa - in Slovak: Maximilián Hell ) (May 15th 1720 – April 14th 1792) was a Astronome and a priest Jesuit of the Royaume of Hungary.

Biography

Hell was born Maximilian Höll with Štiavnické Bane (Slovakia). Höll changed later its name into Hell . It was the third wire of the second marriage of his father. It had 21 brothers and sisters. His/her father was called Matej Kornel Hell (Slovak sources)/ Matthias Cornelius Hell or Matthäus Kornelius Hell (German sources) and whose ethnic origin is usually quoted like German or Slovak. The birthplace of the father of Maximilian is unknown; the places Kremnica, Horní Slavkov, or Ostrov nad Ohří are most frequently quoted. Hell was considered itself Hungarian. Hell became director of the Observatoire of Vienna in 1755. It published the astronomical tables Ephemerides astronomicae AD meridianum Vindobonemsem (" Éphémérides for the meridian line of Vienne"). It went to Vardø in the extreme north of the Norway (which formed then part of the Denmark) to observe the Transit of Venus of 1769.

There be a certain controversy in connection with the observations of the Venus transit by Hell because it remained in Norway for eight month, collecting not-astronomical scientific data about the artic regions for a future encyclopedia (which never appeared, partly because of the suppression of the order Jésuite). The publication of its results was delayed and certain (in particular Joseph Johann Littrow) showed Hell after its death to have falsified its results. However, Simon Newcomb carefully studied the notebooks of Hell and rehabilitated it one century after its death with Vienna.

Beside the Astronomy, Hell carried also an interest for the mesmerism (alleged capacity of cure of the Aimant S), although it was Frederic-Antoine Mesmer which looks further into this subject and the essence of the credit drew some.

The crater Hell on the the Moon bears its name.

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