William Markowitz
William Markowitz (born February 8, 1907 in Melč, † October 10, 1998 in Pompano Beach, Florida) was an American astronomer.
Markowitz worked at the US Naval Observatory from 1936 to 1966 and headed its temporary service from 1953 to 1966 . His main interest was the rotation of the earth and the polar movement . He constructed a special moon camera that was used to determine the ephemeris time . The comparisons of realized with this camera astronomical Ephemeridenzeitskala with the physically generated atomic time scale of the newly developed cesium - atomic clocks led to the definition of SI - second as 9,192,631,770 oscillations of the radiation emitted by cesium atoms radiation.
Publications
- Markowitz Wm .: Photographic determination of the moon's position, and applications to the measure of time, rotation of the earth, and geodesy . Astronomical Journal, Vol. 59, p. 69 (1954) ( online )
- Markowitz Wm .: Variations in rotation of the earth, results obtained with the dual-rate moon camera and photographic zenith tubes . In: Dirk Brouwer, ed .: The Rotation of the Earth and Atomic Time Standards, IAU Symposium no.11, Moscow, August 1958. Lancaster Press 1959, p.26 ( online )
- Markowitz Wm .: International determination of the total motion of the pole . In: Paul J. Melchior, ed .: The Future of the International Latitude Service; IAU Symposium # 13 held in Helsinki, July 1960, p. 29–41 ( online )
Web links
- Publications by W. Markowitz in the Astrophysics Data System
- Obituaries for W. Markowitz in the Astrophysics Data System
- Obituary from the US Naval Observatory
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Markowitz, William |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American astronomer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 8, 1907 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Melč |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 10, 1998 |
| Place of death | Pompano Beach, Florida |