Marian Albertowitsch Kowalski
Marian Albertowitsch Kowalski ( Russian Мариан Альбертович Ковальский ; born August 15, 1821 or October 15, 1821 in Dobrzyń , Poland ; † May 28, 1884 or July 9, 1884 in Kazan ) was a Polish - Russian astronomer .
He studied at the University of Saint Petersburg . From 1852 he was the director of the observatory and dean of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics in Kazan .
His most important work was the analysis of the proper motion of 3136 fixed stars from the star catalog of James Bradley . This was the first applicable method to infer the rotation of the Milky Way . Based on this work, he refuted the view that a single massive body in the center of our galaxy was responsible for the movement of the stars.
In the field of celestial mechanics , he developed improved methods for inferring the orbit of a planet from observations, and he analyzed the mathematics of perturbations in planetary motion. In particular, he made a more accurate determination of the orbit of the planet Neptune . He also created an improved method for determining the orbits of binary stars .
His most important writings were published in 1859 under the title Recherches astronomiques de l'observatoire de Kazan .
He is buried in the Catholic cemetery in Kazan.
The Koval'sky craters on Mars and the Koval'skiy craters on the moon have been named in his honor.
Web links
- http://www.vgd.ru/K/kovalchk.htm (Russian)
- Photo (Russian)
obituary
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kowalski, Marian Albertowitsch |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Polish-Russian astronomer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 15, 1821 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Dobrzyń nad Wisłą |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 9, 1884 |
| Place of death | Kazan |