Jürgen Hamel


Jürgen Hamel is a German astronomy historian. His research areas are the history of astronomy in the Middle Ages and the early modern period, the period around 1800, the history of astrophysics, astronomy and cultural history, and the history of astronomical instruments.

Life and career

Hamel was born in Stralsund. After an apprenticeship as a, he studied philosophy, history and education at the University of Leipzig and then worked as a university lecturer at the University of Rostock, where he obtained his doctorate in 1982 with a thesis on the early history of astrophysics.
From 1978 to 1991, Hamel worked at the Archenhold Observatory as a student of Dieter B. Herrmann. In addition to his scientific work, he was involved in popularising astronomy, gave numerous lectures within the framework of the Gesellschaft zur Verbreitung wissenschaftlicher Kenntnisse and was active on the editorial board of the journal Astronomy and Astronautics published by the Cultural Association of the GDR. From 1990 onwards, Hamel was a contributor to the publication of the Collected Works of Nicolaus Copernicus and Johannes Kepler. In 1996, as part of a scholarship from the, he worked on The First German Translation of the Major Astronomical Work of Nicolaus Copernicus 1586. From 1998 to 2000, he worked at the in Kassel. For many years he lectured on the "History of Astronomy" and the "Introduction to Astronomy" at the University of Koblenz and Landau.
On 17 May 2001, Hamel was elected member of the. He is co-founder and co-editor of the publication series Acta Historica Astronomiae, editor-in-chief of the journal as well as, since 2019, of the scientific yearbook for the history of Pomerania Baltic Studies.

Publications (selection)

; Introductions to the history of astronomyAstronomie in alter Zeit.. 2nd ed. edition. Berlin-Treptow 1981.
  • Bearbeitung der deutschsprachigen Ausgabe von Angel Bonov: Sternbilder, Sternsagen: Mythen und Legenden um Sternbilder. Übers. aus dem Bulgarischen von Leo Korniljew. 2nd edition. Leipzig/ Jena/ Berlin 1986,.Astronomiegeschichte in Quellentexten. Von Hesiod bis Hubble. Springer Spektrum, 1996,.Geschichte der Astronomie. Von den Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart. Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel/ Boston/ Berlin 1998,. 2nd edition. Kosmos-Franckh, Stuttgart 2002,.History of astronomy. In Texten von Hesiod bis Hubble. 2. erw. Auflage. Magnus Verlag, Essen 2004,.Meilensteine der Astronomie. Von Aristoteles bis Hawking. Kosmos, 2006,.
; Biographies and special topicsZur Entstehungs- und Wirkungsgeschichte der Kantschen Kosmogonie.. Berlin-Treptow 1979.Johann Karl Friedrich Zöllner. Versuch einer Analyse seiner philosophischen Position. Berlin-Treptow 1977.Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel. BSB Teubner Verlagsgesellschaft, Leipzig, 1984 Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel. BSB Teubner Verlagsgesellschaft, Leipzig, 1988,.Nicolaus Copernicus. Leben, Werk und Wirkung. Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Heidelberg/ Berlin/ Oxford 1994,.Die astronomischen Forschungen in Kassel unter William IV. Mit einer wissenschaftlichen Teiledition der Übersetzung des Hauptwerkes von Copernicus 1586.. 2nd corrected edition. Verlag Harri Deutsch, Thun/ Frankfurt, 1998,.
  • Jürgen Hamel, Eberhard Knobloch, Herbert Pieper : Alexander von Humboldt in Berlin. Sein Einfluß auf die Entwicklung der Wissenschaften.. Augsburg 2003.
  • Jürgen Hamel : Wissenschaftliches Kolloquium zum 75. Geburtstag von Hans-Jürgen Treder., trafo, Berlin 2003Herrmann, Dieter B. In Wer war wer in der DDR? 5th edition. Vol. 1. Ch. Links, Berlin 2010,.Wattenberg, Diedrich. In Wer war wer in der DDR? 5th edition. Vol. 2. Ch. Links, Berlin 2010,.Ein Beitrag zur Familiengeschichte von Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel. Nach den Quellen bearbeitete Stammreihe des Astronomen. In Mitteilungen der Gauss Gesellschaft 26, .Meisterwerk der Kartografie. Die Lubinsche Pommernkarte von 1618., Stralsund 2018,.
; Classics Studies
; Criticisms of astrologyAstrology – Tochter der Astronomie?. 2nd edition. Urania Verlag, Leipzig/ Jena/ Berlin 1987,.Astrologie – Tochter der Astronomie?. Moewig, Rastatt 1989,.Begriffe der Astrologie. Von Abendstern bis Zwillingsproblem. Harri Deutsch Verlag, Frankfurt, 2010,.