Sebastian von Hoerner (1919-2003), German radio astronomer. Born in Gorlitz, Germany in 1919, von Hoerner studied theoretical physics before coming the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) to study star formation and cosmology. He worked at NRAO in Green Bank, West Virginia, USA, from 1962 until 1983. He developed mathematical definitions of how large dish telescopes deform under weight and movement, a concept called homology that is still used today. Von Hoerner was friends with Frank Drake during Project Ozma, the first search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). Von Hoerner also worked to popularize astronomy in Germany.