# Paul Wild (Swiss astronomer)

Paul Wild (German:; 5 October 1925 – 2 July 2014) was a Swiss astronomer and director of the Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern, who discovered numerous comets, asteroids and supernovae.

## Biography

Wild was born on 5 October 1925 in the village of Wädenswil near Zürich, Switzerland. From 1944 through 1950, he studied mathematics and physics at the ETH Zurich. Thereafter, he worked at the California Institute of Technology where he researched galaxies and supernovas under the leadership of countryman Fritz Zwicky from 1951 through 1955.
At the Zimmerwald Observatory, near Bern, Wild made his first cometary discovery C/1957 U1 (1957 IX) on 2 October 1957. The parabolic comet was later named "Latyshev-Wild–Burnham".
Professor Wild became director of the Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern in 1980, and remained in this position until 1991. He died on 2 July 2014 at the age of 88 in Bern.

## Discoveries

During countless nights Wild observed the skies at the Zimmerwald Observatory near Bern and discovered numerous asteroids, comets and supernovae including:
* 4 periodic comets: 63P/Wild, 81P/Wild, 86P/Wild and 116P/Wild
* 3 parabolic comets: C/1957 U1, C/1967 C2 and C/1968 U1
* The Apollo asteroid 1866 Sisyphus and the two Amor asteroids 2368 Beltrovata and 3552 Don Quixote
* 41 supernovae, as well as 8 co-discoveries. His first discovered supernova was SN 1954A in NGC 4214, while his most recent was SN 1994M in NGC 4493.
The best known discovery of a comet occurred on 6 January 1978. This Jupiter-family comet was designated 1978 XI, P/Wild 2 or 81P/Wild. Wild 2 was chosen by NASA for its Stardust mission launched in 1999. The stardust spacecraft flew through the comet's trail and collected samples of the tail's dust. After the return of the spacecraft to earth, analysis of the dust particles by different researcher provided new insights about the evolution of the solar system. Organic compounds such as glycine, a fundamental chemical building block of life, were found on a comet for the first time. In addition, evidence of the presence of liquid water was detected.

### List of discovered asteroids

He is credited by the Minor Planet Center with the discovery of 94 numbered minor planets during 1961–1994, one of which was a co-discovery with Czech-born Swiss astronomer Ivo Baueršíma.
| 1657 Roemera | 6 March 1961 | list |
| 1687 Glarona | 19 September 1965 | list |
| 1748 Mauderli | 7 September 1966 | list |
| 1768 Appenzella | 23 September 1965 | list |
| 1773 Rumpelstilz | 17 April 1968 | list |
| 1775 Zimmerwald | 13 May 1969 | list |
| 1803 Zwicky | 6 February 1967 | list |
| 1830 Pogson | 17 April 1968 | list |
| 1831 Nicholson | 17 April 1968 | list |
| 1838 Ursa | 20 October 1971 | list |
| 1839 Ragazza | 20 October 1971 | list |
| 1844 Susilva | 30 October 1972 | list |
| 1845 Helewalda | 30 October 1972 | list |
| 1860 Barbarossa | 28 September 1973 | list |
| 1866 Sisyphus | 5 December 1972 | list |
| 1891 Gondola | 11 September 1969 | list |
| 1892 Lucienne | 16 September 1971 | list |
| 1893 Jakoba | 20 October 1971 | list |
| 1906 Naef | 5 September 1972 | list |
| 1911 Schubart | 25 October 1973 | list |
| 1935 Lucerna | 2 September 1973 | list |
| 1936 Lugano | 24 November 1973 | list |
| 1937 Locarno | 19 December 1973 | list |
| 1938 Lausanna | 19 April 1974 | list |
| 1960 Guisan | 25 October 1973 | list |
| 1961 Dufour | 19 November 1973 | list |
| 1962 Dunant | 24 November 1973 | list |
| 2001 Einstein | 5 March 1973 | list |
| 2005 Hencke | 2 September 1973 | list |
| 2029 Binomi | 11 September 1969 | list |
| 2033 Basilea | 6 February 1973 | list |
| 2034 Bernoulli | 5 March 1973 | list |
| 2037 Tripaxeptalis | 25 October 1973 | list |
| 2038 Bistro | 24 November 1973 | list |
| 2040 Chalonge | 19 April 1974 | list |
| 2080 Jihlava | 27 February 1976 | list |
| 2081 Sázava | 27 February 1976 | list |
| 2087 Kochera | 28 December 1975 | list |
| 2088 Sahlia | 27 February 1976 | list |
| 2129 Cosicosi | 27 September 1973 | list |
| 2138 Swissair | 17 April 1968 | list |
| 2151 Hadwiger | 3 November 1977 | list |
| 2152 Hannibal | 19 November 1978 | list |
| 2175 Andrea Doria | 12 October 1977 | list |
| 2218 Wotho | 10 January 1975 | list |
| 2229 Mezzarco | 7 September 1977 | list |
| 2239 Paracelsus | 13 September 1978 | list |
| 2262 Mitidika | 10 September 1978 | list |
| 2303 Retsina | 24 March 1979 | list |
| 2320 Blarney | 29 August 1979 | list |
| 2337 Boubin | 22 October 1976 | list |
| 2353 Alva | 27 October 1975 | list |
| 2368 Beltrovata | 4 September 1977 | list |
| 2429 Schürer | 12 October 1977 | list |
| 2481 Bürgi | 18 October 1977 | list |
| 2517 Orma | 28 September 1968 | list |
| 2521 Heidi | 28 February 1979 | list |
| 2565 Grögler | 12 October 1977 | list |
| 2731 Cucula | 21 May 1982 | list |
| 2843 Yeti | 7 December 1975 | list |
| 2868 Upupa | 30 October 1972 | list |
| 2914 Glärnisch | 19 September 1965 | list |
| 2950 Rousseau | 9 November 1974 | list |
| 2970 Pestalozzi | 27 October 1978 | list |
| 2989 Imago | 22 October 1976 | list |
| 3021 Lucubratio | 6 February 1967 | list |
| 3026 Sarastro | 12 October 1977 | list |
| 3060 Delcano | 12 September 1982 | list |
| 3258 Somnium | 8 September 1983 | list |
| 3329 Golay | 12 September 1985 | list |
| 3468 Urgenta | 7 January 1975 | list |
| 3491 Fridolin | 30 September 1984 | list |
| 3552 Don Quixote | 26 September 1983 | list |
| 3582 Cyrano | 2 October 1986 | list |
| 3928 Randa | 4 August 1981 | list |
| 4323 Hortulus | 27 August 1981 | list |
| 4471 Graculus | 8 November 1978 | list |
| 5369 Virgiugum | 22 September 1985 | list |
| 5708 Melancholia | 12 October 1977 | list |
| 5710 Silentium | 18 October 1977 | list |
| 5986 Xenophon | 2 October 1969 | list |
| 6475 Refugium | 29 September 1987 | list |
| 6620 Peregrina | 25 October 1973 | list |
| 7081 Ludibunda | 30 August 1987 | list |
| 8061 Gaudium | 27 October 1975 | list |
| (9149) 1977 TD1 | 12 October 1977 | list |
| (9302) 1985 TB$_3$ | 12 October 1985 | list |
| 9711 Želetava | 7 August 1972 | list |
| 9716 Severina | 27 October 1975 | list |
| (10488) 1985 RS$_1$ | 12 September 1985 | list |
| 13025 Zürich | 28 January 1989 | list |
| 14826 Nicollier | 16 September 1985 | list |
| (16415) 1987 QE$_7$ | 21 August 1987 | list |
| 19251 Totziens | 3 September 1994 | list |
| Co-discovery made with: $^A$ I. Baueršíma |||