Professor Baschek’s scientific specialisation was the physics of stellar atmospheres: He pioneered the combination of analytical and numerical methods, where he was fast at adopting rapid advances in computational technology. In parallel, he developed analysis tools for stellar spectra with the purpose of inferring details about radiative transport in plasmas and the structure of stellar atmospheres.
He is known to generations of astronomy students for the book „Der neue Kosmos“, continuing the authorship of his mentor Albrecht Unsoeld. He greatly extended the scope of the book which now covers all aspects of observational and theoretical astrophysics, before passing on this responsibility to Wolfgang Duschl.
Professor Baschek was an excellent teacher for astronomy, a kind and conscientious supervisor, a prolific scientist and a universally educated person. The faculty will retain a fond and respectful memory of Professor Baschek.
