Manfred Cuntz is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

astrophysicist based in the United States since 1988. He is a

Distinguished Professor Distinguished Professor is an academic title given to some top tenured professors in a university, school, or department. Some distinguished professors may have endowed chairs. In the United States Often specific to one institution, titles such ...

of physics at the

University of Texas at Arlington The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA or UT Arlington) is a public research university in Arlington, Texas. The university was founded in 1895 and was in the Texas A&M University System for several decades until joining the University of ...

(UTA). His primary research interests include stellar

astrophysics Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the he ...

astrobiology Astrobiology, and the related field of exobiology, is an interdisciplinary scientific field that studies the origins, early evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe. Astrobiology is the multidisciplinary field that investi ...

, and

planetary habitability Planetary habitability is the measure of a planet's or a natural satellite's potential to develop and maintain environments hospitable to life. Life may be generated directly on a planet or satellite endogenously or be transferred to it from a ...

Early life and education

Manfred Cuntz was born on April 21, 1958, in

Landau in der Pfalz Landau ( pfl, Landach), officially Landau in der Pfalz, is an autonomous (''kreisfrei'') town surrounded by the Südliche Weinstraße ("Southern Wine Route") district of southern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a university town (since 1990) ...

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. He was the first-born son of Gerhard Hermann Cuntz and Irene Emma Cuntz (née Messerschmitt) and was raised in Bornheim. His family's business was in

viticulture Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...

and

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to anima ...

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peop ...

. As the eldest son, Cuntz would have inherited the farm. Early on, however, his family deemed him unsuitable for farm work and, instead, had him focus on his education. Cuntz attended secondary school at the Eduard-Spranger Gymnasium in Landau, from which he graduated with the

Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen yea ...

in 1977. Even though he was a dedicated student, especially in mathematics and the natural sciences, academic success did not come easily to Cuntz in all subjects. In fact, he had to repeat the eighth grade. After that, however, he became a top student, especially in the last years of secondary school when he was able to focus on the subjects of mathematics, chemistry, and social studies. Cuntz went on to study

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which rel ...

and

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

at the

University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public university, public research university in Heidelberg, B ...

, Germany. There, he earned a BS in Physics in 1980, followed by an MS in Physics in 1985. He earned his

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper ''Piled Higher and Deeper'' (also known as ''PhD Comics''), is a newsp ...

in Astronomy from the same university in 1988 with a dissertation on stellar atmospheric heating and

stellar wind A stellar wind is a flow of gas ejected from the upper atmosphere of a star. It is distinguished from the bipolar outflows characteristic of young stars by being less collimated, although stellar winds are not generally spherically symmetric. ...

s, titled ''Generation of Extended Chromospheres and Mass Loss of Late-Type Giant Stars due to Acoustic Shock Waves''.

Career

After completing his degrees at the

, Manfred Cuntz moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. He held positions as a

postdoctoral research A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). The ultimate goal of a postdoctoral research position is to pu ...

assistant in the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics (

JILA JILA, formerly known as the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics, is a physical science research institute in the United States. JILA is located on the University of Colorado Boulder campus. JILA was founded in 1962 as a joint institute ...

) at the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University o ...

from 1989 to 1991 and at the

National Center for Atmospheric Research The US National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR ) is a US federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) managed by the nonprofit University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) and funded by the National Science Founda ...

(NCAR) of the

High Altitude Observatory The High Altitude Observatory (HAO) conducts research and provides support and facilities for the solar-terrestrial physics research community in the areas of solar and heliospheric physics, and the effects of solar variability on the Earth's m ...

(HAO) from 1992 to 1993. In 1995, he returned to the University of Heidelberg as Habilitation Fellow. He held that position until 1999, at which point he joined the Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research at the

University of Alabama in Huntsville The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) is a public research university in Huntsville, Alabama. The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and comprises nine colleges: arts, humanities & social science ...

as an adjunct associate professor for one year. Since 2000, he has been a professor in the physics department of the

. He is an editor of the journal

Astronomische Nachrichten ''Astronomische Nachrichten'' (''Astronomical Notes''), one of the first international journals in the field of astronomy, was established in 1821 by the German astronomer Heinrich Christian Schumacher. It claims to be the oldest astronomical jou ...

(Astronomical Notes).

Research

Cuntz's research often deals with questions about the

probability Probability is the branch of mathematics concerning numerical descriptions of how likely an Event (probability theory), event is to occur, or how likely it is that a proposition is true. The probability of an event is a number between 0 and ...

and possible distribution of extraterrestrial life and "is based on a pure

theoretical A theory is a rational type of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the results of such thinking. The process of contemplative and rational thinking is often associated with such processes as observational study or research. Theories may be ...

approach." He developed "BinHab, a new online tool that can be used to calculate the regions of

binary system A binary system is a system of two astronomical bodies which are close enough that their gravitational attraction causes them to orbit each other around a barycenter ''(also see Barycenter#Gallery, animated examples)''. More restrictive definitio ...

s favorable for life." The interim dean of the

UTA Uta or UTA may refer to: Universities *University of Texas at Arlington, in the United States *University of Tarapacá, in Chile *University of Tampere, in Finland Sports * FC UTA Arad, a Romanian football club based in the town of Arad * A c ...

College of Science, James Grover, said this tool "holds enormous potential for those who study space in the search for life." In 2000, Manfred Cuntz, together with Steven Saar of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, made predictions "that planetary magnetic fields could produce detectable effects on stars". This phenomenon was later observed in 2004 by E. Shkolnik of the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

. Cuntz also argues that "extreme magnetic protection by a powerful planetary

magnetic dipole In electromagnetism, a magnetic dipole is the limit of either a closed loop of electric current or a pair of poles as the size of the source is reduced to zero while keeping the magnetic moment constant. It is a magnetic analogue of the electric ...

field" could increase the probability that a planet is

habitable Habitability refers to the adequacy of an environment for human living. Where housing is concerned, there are generally local ordinances which define habitability. If a residence complies with those laws it is said to be habitable. In extreme e ...

even if it is subject to "extreme

ultraviolet Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 PHz) to 400 nm (750 THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiati ...

and

x-ray X-rays (or rarely, ''X-radiation'') are a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. In many languages, it is referred to as Röntgen radiation, after the German scientist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, who discovered it in 1895 and named it ' ...

" radiation from its star. Cuntz has worked with other researchers to "examined both the damaging and the favourable effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation from stars on DNA molecules" and how it could affect "potential carbon-based extraterrestrial life forms in the habitable zones around other stars." A study conducted by Cuntz, Satoko Sato, and researchers from the

University of Guanajuato The Universidad de Guanajuato (in English, the University of Guanajuato) is a university based in the Mexican state of Guanajuato, made up of about 33,828 students in programs ranging from high school level to the doctorate level. Over 17,046 of ...

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

found that

F-type star An F-type main-sequence star (F V) is a main-sequence, hydrogen-fusing star of spectral type F and luminosity class V. These stars have from 1.0 to 1.4 times the mass of the Sun and surface temperatures between 6,000 and 7,600 K.Tables VII ...

systems "may ..be a good place to look for

habitable planets Planetary habitability is the measure of a planet's or a natural satellite's potential to develop and maintain environments hospitable to life. Life may be generated directly on a planet or satellite endogenously or be transferred to it from a ...

" because they have a larger "area where conditions are right for general

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surf ...

-type planets to develop and sustain life" than smaller, cooler stars like our

Sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared rad ...

. The research demonstrated that the damage to DNA from UV radiation on planets "in the outer portions of F-star habitable zones" was "similar to the damage on Earth, if Earth did not have an

atmosphere An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. ...

Community involvement

Cuntz actively participates in education and public outreach (EPO). He has worked wit
The Planetarium at University of Texas at Arlington
to create several shows. A 45-minute film titled ''Magnificent Sun'', for which Cuntz co-authored the script, is intended to allow "the general public to share information and excitement about solar physics." Another show, ''Cosmic CSI: Looking for Life in the Universe'', aims to present Cuntz's "research in astrobiology to the rest of the community.” Additionally, he was the

Principal Investigator In many countries, the term principal investigator (PI) refers to the holder of an independent grant and the lead researcher for the grant project, usually in the sciences, such as a laboratory study or a clinical trial. The phrase is also often us ...

for the development of a 3-D planetarium film "based on NASA's research and outreach mission, Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or

SOFIA Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. ...

." Outside of his academic work, Cuntz pursues examination of

fake news Fake news is false or misleading information presented as news. Fake news often has the aim of damaging the reputation of a person or entity, or making money through advertising revenue.Schlesinger, Robert (April 14, 2017)"Fake news in realit ...

in science by writing articles in the journal

Skeptical Inquirer ''Skeptical Inquirer'' is a bimonthly American general-audience magazine published by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI) with the subtitle: ''The Magazine for Science and Reason''. Mission statement and goals Daniel Loxton, writing in ...

. This has included articles about misguided

criticism Criticism is the construction of a judgement about the negative qualities of someone or something. Criticism can range from impromptu comments to a written detailed response. , ''"the act of giving your opinion or judgment about the good or bad q ...

of the

work Work may refer to: * Work (human activity), intentional activity people perform to support themselves, others, or the community ** Manual labour, physical work done by humans ** House work, housework, or homemaking ** Working animal, an anim ...

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theor ...

and commentary about responses from

religious Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

groups regarding the

James Webb Space Telescope The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a space telescope which conducts infrared astronomy. As the largest optical telescope in space, its high resolution and sensitivity allow it to view objects too old, distant, or faint for the Hubble ...

(JWST).

Literary influences

A publication by Cuntz on possible Earth-like planets in the star system

55 Cancri 55 Cancri is a binary star system located 41 light-years away from the Sun in the zodiac constellation of Cancer. It has the Bayer designation Rho1 Cancri (ρ1 Cancri); ''55 Cancri'' is the Flamsteed designation (abbrev ...

served as inspiration for Kenneth E. Ingle's

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

''First Contact: Escape to 55 Cancri''. Cuntz has also chosen to explore

urban legends An urban legend (sometimes contemporary legend, modern legend, urban myth, or urban tale) is a genre of folklore comprising stories or fallacious claims circulated as true, especially as having happened to a "friend of a friend" or a family m ...

. He offered contributions to Rolf Wilhelm Brednich, at that time a professor of

Folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, r ...

European Ethnology Europeans are the focus of European ethnology, the field of anthropology related to the various ethnic groups that reside in the states of Europe. Groups may be defined by common genetic ancestry, common language, or both. Pan and Pfeil (20 ...

at the

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen, (german: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, known informally as Georgia Augusta) is a public research university in the city of Göttingen, Germany. Founded i ...

in Germany, for his book on modern legends.

References

Publications

Books

Selected Articles

* ''X-ray Activity Variations and Coronal Abundances of the Star-Planet Interaction Candidate HD 179949'' (2023) (incl. A. Acharya, V. L. Kashyap, S. H. Saar, K. P. Singh). * ''An Early Catalog of Planet-Hosting Multiple-Star Systems of Order Three and Higher'' (2022) (incl. G. E. Luke, M. J. Millard, L. Boyle, S. D. Patel). * ''Updated Studies on Exomoons in the HD 23079 System'' (2021) (incl. O. Jagtap, B. Quarles). * ''Orbital Stability of Exomoons and Submoons with Applications to Kepler 1625b-I'' (2020) (incl. M. Rosario-Franco, B. Quarles, Z. E. Musielak). * ''Can Planets Exist in the Habitable Zone of 55 Cancri?'' (2019) (incl. S. Satyal). * ''Exocomets in the 47 UMa System: Theoretical Simulations Including Water Transport'' (2018) (incl. B. Loibnegger, R. Dvorak). * ''Case Studies of Exocomets in the System of HD 10180'' (2017) (incl. B. Loibnegger, R. Dvorak). * ''About Exobiology: The Case for Dwarf K Stars'' (2016) (incl. E. F. Guinan). * ''Fractal and Multifractal Analysis of the Rise of Oxygen in Earth's Early Atmosphere'' (2015) (incl. S. Kumar, Z. E. Musielak). * ''Habitability of Earth-mass Planets and Moons in the Kepler-16 System'' (2012) (incl. B. Quarles, Z. E. Musielak). * ''The Advection of Supergranules by the Sun's Axisymmetric Flows'' (2010) (incl. D. H. Hathaway, P. E. Williams, K. Dela Rosa). * ''On the Reality of the Suggested Planet in the Nu Octantis System'' (2010) (incl. J. Eberle). * ''The Great Oxidation of Earth's Atmosphere: Contesting the Yoyo Model via Transition Stability Analysis'' (2009) (incl. D. Roy, Z. E. Musielak). * ''A Method for the Treatment of Supergranulation Advection by Giant Cells'' (2009) (incl. P. E. Williams). * ''Acoustic Heating of the Solar Chromosphere: Present Indeed and Locally Dominant'' (2007) (incl. W. Rammacher, Z. E. Musielak). * ''A New Version of Reimers' Law of Mass Loss Based on a Physical Approach'' (2005) (incl. K.-P. Schröder). * ''On the Possibility of Earth-type Habitable Planets in the 55 Cancri System'' (2003) (incl. W. von Bloh, C. Bounama, S. Franck). * '' Orbital Stability of Terrestrial Planets inside the Habitable Zones of Extrasolar Planetary Systems'' (2002) (incl. M. Noble, Z. E. Musielak). * ''On Stellar Activity Enhancement Due to Interactions with Extrasolar Giant Planets'' (2000) (incl. S. H. Saar, Z. E. Musielak). * ''A Generalized Version of the Rankine-Hugoniot Relations Including Ionization, Dissociation and Related Phenomena'' (1993) (incl. H. Nieuwenhuijzen, C. de Jager, A. Lobel, L. Achmad). {{DEFAULTSORT:Cuntz, Manfred 1958 births Astronomers German astronomers 20th-century German astronomers 21st-century German astronomers German scientists Astrophysicists German astrophysicists Living people Science communicators Space advocates Heidelberg University alumni University of Texas at Arlington faculty