Maximilianus Hell (1720-1792) - Munin

When discussing Maximilianus Hell’s career in the period 1755-1768, his work instruction is
a convenient point of departure. Although the document is frequently referred to in the
biographical literature, it has – to the best of my knowledge – never been published in its
entirety, in either German or English. In order to inspect it, as it were, from close range, each
point on the list will therefore be presented here in translation, albeit not in a strictly
numerical order. The last point on the list is formulated thus: 63
7) He shall report every week to the Director of Philosophy about all His
observations and scientific correspondence. His further activities, what subject
matters that are to be included in His calendars and mechanics courses and what
works He is going to publish, He shall inform the Director about, to whom He is
to turn on all matters relating to his work.
One notices that the periodic reports to the Director (dean) of the Faculty of Philosophy are
supposed to be weekly, and the Imperial Astronomer is asked to turn to the director for advice
on “all matters relating to his work”. However, it is not stated that these reports ought to be
written, and although a fair amount of documents in Hell’s hand are included in an online
inventory of the Vienna University Archives, the documents that have been catalogued for the
internet mainly concern extraordinary issues such as renovation of the observatory rooms,
new arrangements for his lodging, etc. 64 A detailed investigation of Hell’s interaction with
administrative and scientific staff at the university is in any case beyond the scope of this
thesis. Suffice it to say that the court astronomer lived in the upper floors of the university
building, directly underneath the observatory, along with his assistant (referred to as the
socius, bidellus or adjunctus), a servant (famulus) and a secretary (scriba). Furthermore, his
apartment had space enough to host a student of astronomy for shorter or longer periods. It
was a normal arrangement for astronomers in those days to live in the observatory building
itself. Given the nightly chores of an astronomer, this was convenient. Despite the formal
requirement of delivering weekly reports to the dean and consult him on all matters of
importance, there seems to have reigned an atmosphere of seclusion in the upper quarters of
63 Ibid.: “Siebentens wird er wochentl: allen fürgenommenen observationen, und dem Commercio Litterario dem
Directori Philosophiæ seinen bericht abstatten, und was ferner fürzunehmen, von welche Materien in den
Calendern, und Collegijs [scripsi; Collegys MS] Mechanicis meistens zu berühren und was zum Druck zu geben
seyn, von ihm Directore zu verstehen haben, an welchen er in allen sein amt betreffenden Dingen angewiesen
wird.”
64 Search on “Hell” at the server http://scopeq.cc.univie.ac.at/Query/volltextsuche.aspx (undertaken 4 January
2011).
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