KONKOLY-THEGE, Mikuláš
* 20. 1. 1842, Budapest, Hungary
† 17. 2. 1916, Budapest, Hungary
Astronomer, geophysicist, meteorologist
K.-T. studied in Pest and Berlin and in 1862 went on a two-year study tour, where he visited all the relevant observatories in Europe. After he returned on the property he inherited in Stara Ďala, today Hurbanovo, he established a meteorological station (1867), an astronomical Observatory (1871) and a place for geophysical research (1890). His astronomical Laboratory was towards the end of the 19th century considered the best equipped and best-known astrophysical laboratory in Europe.
K.-T. was concerned primarily with the research of solar spots, solar prominence, comets (spectrum), meteorites and defining the time. He had systematically gathered geomagnetic and meteorological observations. Later he was also concerned with the astrophysical research: astrophotometry, spectroscopy, research of solar photosphere, photographing star cluster and nebulae.
During the seven years of observations he published around forty scientific works. After he was admitted to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences his observations would be published in Academy journals from 1876. From 1879 on K.-T. published only one scientific anthology entitled Observations made in the Astrophysical Observatory of O Gyalla in 16 volumes. He was the author of numerous books, used throughout Europe and co-author of K.-Kövesligethy's spectroscopic catalog.
In 1890 he became director of the State Institute for meteorology and Earth magnetism in Budapest. The year before that he donated his meteorological and geophysical laboratory in Stara Ďala to his conutry. Two planets are named after K. and Ó Gyalla.
