Gavriil Adrianovich Tikhov
Encyclopedia
Gavriil Adrianovich Tikhov (May 1, 1875 – 1960) was a Belarusian
astronomer
.
He worked as observer at the Pulkovo Observatory
from 1906 until 1941. After undertaking an expedition to Alma-Ata
(now Almaty) to observe a solar eclipse he stayed there, and became one of the founders of the Academy of science of Khazakhstan.
He invented the feathering spectrograph by using the commonly occurring chromatic aberration
to his advantage. By installing a ring-shaped diaphragm in front of the objective he enabled an observer to deduce the color and spectral class
of a star
very easily. He was one of the first to use color filters to increase the contrast of surface details on planet
s. He was appointed head of Astrobotany in Alma-Ata, and investigated the possibility of life on other bodies in the Solar system
.
The crater Tikhov
on the Moon
, the Martian crater Tikhov, and the asteroid
2251 Tikhov
are all named in his honor.
Belarusians
Belarusians ; are an East Slavic ethnic group who populate the majority of the Republic of Belarus. Introduced to the world as a new state in the early 1990s, the Republic of Belarus brought with it the notion of a re-emerging Belarusian ethnicity, drawn upon the lines of the Old Belarusian...
astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
.
He worked as observer at the Pulkovo Observatory
Pulkovo Observatory
The Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory астрономи́ческая обсервато́рия Росси́йской акаде́мии нау́к), the principal astronomical observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences, located 19 km south of Saint Petersburg on Pulkovo Heights...
from 1906 until 1941. After undertaking an expedition to Alma-Ata
Almaty
Almaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500...
(now Almaty) to observe a solar eclipse he stayed there, and became one of the founders of the Academy of science of Khazakhstan.
He invented the feathering spectrograph by using the commonly occurring chromatic aberration
Chromatic aberration
In optics, chromatic aberration is a type of distortion in which there is a failure of a lens to focus all colors to the same convergence point. It occurs because lenses have a different refractive index for different wavelengths of light...
to his advantage. By installing a ring-shaped diaphragm in front of the objective he enabled an observer to deduce the color and spectral class
Stellar classification
In astronomy, stellar classification is a classification of stars based on their spectral characteristics. The spectral class of a star is a designated class of a star describing the ionization of its chromosphere, what atomic excitations are most prominent in the light, giving an objective measure...
of a star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
very easily. He was one of the first to use color filters to increase the contrast of surface details on planet
Planet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
s. He was appointed head of Astrobotany in Alma-Ata, and investigated the possibility of life on other bodies in the Solar system
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
.
The crater Tikhov
Tikhov (lunar crater)
Tikhov is an eroded lunar impact crater on the Moon's far side. It is nearly attached to the east-southeastern outer rim of the larger crater Avogadro...
on the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
, the Martian crater Tikhov, and the asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
2251 Tikhov
2251 Tikhov
2251 Tikhov is a main-belt asteroid discovered on September 19, 1977 by N. Chernykh at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory.- External links :*...
are all named in his honor.