Franz Xaver von Zach (1754-1832)
(Schloßmuseum Gotha)

Wednesday, September 15
Morning (Chair: L.G. Balazs)

• Peter Brosche (Daun/Bonn): Pictures from Zach's worldline
• Árpad Szállási (Esztergom): The military health service around 1800
• András Koltai (Budapest): The role of the Piarist order in developing the scientific way of thinking
• Anita McConnell (London): Zach in England

• Katalin Barlai (Budapest): Jesuit measurements
• Bálint Érdi (Budapest): Laplace and the development of celestial mechanics
• Lajos G. Balázs (Budapest): Theoretical astrophysics in XIX^th century

Wednesday, September 15
Afternoon (Chair: P. Brosche)

• István Jankovics (Budapest): Astrogeodesic instruments in Hungary
• Klaus-Dieter Herbst (Jena): The advent of the meridian circle
• Gudrun Wolfschmidt (Hamburg): Zach's instruments and their problems
• Alberto Meschiari (Modena): Franz Xaver von Zach and Giovanni Battista Amici

• Hilmar Duerbeck (Brussels): Venus transits of the 18^th century and the astronomical unit
• Imre Tóth (Budapest): The discovery of the first minor planets
• Endre Zsoldos (Budapest): Variable star astronomy in Zach's time

Thursday, September 16
Morning (Chair: H. Duerbeck)

• Attila Mesko (Budapest): The development of our understanding of the geoid
• Oliver Schwarz (Landau): Zach as surveyor of Thuringia
• James Caplan (Marseille): Zach and the geodesy of Southern France
• István Klinghammer (Budapest): Cartography in Hungary at the turn of the XVIII-XIX^th century

Thursday, September 16
Afternoon (Chair: J. Caplan)

• Béla Balázs (Budapest): The role of ``managers of science''
• László Patkós (Budapest): The Pasquich affair
• Clifford Cunningham (Sunny Isles Beach): A project to publish the collected correspondence of Baron Franz Xaver von Zach
• Magda Vargha (Budapest): Gauss and the Hungarian science
• Peter Brosche (Daun/Bonn): Zach's impact on the sciences

Friday, September 17

Purpose

This symposium celebrates the era and work of Franz Xaver von Zach on the 250th anniversary of his birth.
The meeting will bring together international experts in the history of science to present papers on the following topics.

Topics covered

• Biographical aspects
• Scientific periodicals
• Meetings of scientists
• Enlightenment, freemasonry and religious orders
• Interaction with politics
• The role of 'managers of science'
• Gauss and the Hungarian science
• The evolution of star catalogues
• Minor planets and celestial mechanics
• Astrogeodetic instruments
• Local and global geodesy and navigation
• Civil and military cartography
• Geography and geophysics

Dates

Sept. 15 to Sept. 17, 2004. The symposium precedes the autumn meeting of the Astronomische Gesellschaft, held in Prague at Sept. 20-25, 2004.

Venue

The meeting will take place in the main building of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Budapest, Hungary.

Accomodation

In medium category hotels, next to the building of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, cost per night: 65 Euro in a single and 85 Euro in a double room (including breakfast).

Participation

Participation is open for everybody who is interested in this subject.

Registration

Interested participants are invited to register with the enclosed registration form. There is no registration fee. Accompanying persons are welcome.

Proceedings

We intend to publish proceedings of the symposium.

Scientific Organizing Committee:

• Prof. Dr. Peter Brosche(Chairman), Observatorium Hoher List der Sternwarte der Universität Bonn, D-54550 Daun
  Tel.: +49-6592-2150, Fax: +49-6592-985140
• James Caplan, Observatoire Astronomique de Marseille-Provence
  Fax: +33-4-91621190
• Anita McConnell, London
• Gudrun Wolfschmidt, IGN, Hamburg University
  Tel. +49-40-42838-5262, Fax +49-40-42838-5260

Local Organizing Committee (Budapest):

• Béla Balázs, Eötvös Loránd University
• Lajos G. Bálazs (chairman), Konkoly Observatory
• László Patkós, Konkoly Observatory
• Magda Vargha, Konkoly Observatory
• Endre Zsoldos, Konkoly Observatory

REGISTRATION FORM

The era and work of Franz Xaver von Zach
Budapest 15-17 September

Family name:

First name:

Postal address:

Fax:

E-mail address:

Number of accompanying persons:

I would like to present a paper
Title
Authors
Intended duration of talk:

Abstract:

Accommodation: please indicate your choice:
I prefer single occupancy
I wish to share a double room with:

Return to: Prof. L.G. Balazs
Konkoly Observatory
P.O. Box 67
H-1525 Budapest, Hungary
Fax: +36-1-275-4668
e-mail: balazs@konkoly.hu

Under Construction!
March 29, 2004

Konkoly Observatory of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences

Institut für Geschichte der Naturwissenschaften, Mathematik und Technik

Universität Hamburg