was a Japanese 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...

 originally from Kanazawa, Ishikawa

Kanazawa, Ishikawa

is the capital city of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan.-Geography, climate, and population:Kanazawa sits on the Sea of Japan, bordered by the Japan Alps, Hakusan National Park and Noto Peninsula National Park. The city sits between the Sai and Asano rivers. Its total area is 467.77 km².Kanazawa's...

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He devoted his career to the study and measurement of variation in latitude, building upon the work of Seth Carlo Chandler

Seth Carlo Chandler

Seth Carlo Chandler, Jr. was an American astronomer.He was born in Boston, Massachusetts. During his last year in high school he performed mathematical computations for Benjamin Peirce, of the Harvard College Observatory.After graduating, he became the assistant of Benjamin A. Gould...

, who discovered the Chandler wobble

Chandler wobble

The Chandler wobble is a small motion in the Earth's axis of rotation relative to the Earth's surface, which was discovered by American astronomer Seth Carlo Chandler in 1891. It amounts to on the Earth's surface and has a period of 433 days...

. He was director of the International Latitude Observatory

International Latitude Observatory

The International Latitude Observatories were a system of six observatories located near the parallel of 39° 08' north latitude. They were used to measure the variation in latitude that occurs as a result of the "wobble" of the Earth on its polar axis.The original six observatories were located...

 at Mizusawa

Mizusawa, Iwate

Mizusawa was a city located in Iwate Prefecture, Japan.As of 2003, the city had an estimated population of 60,979 and a population density of 629.17 persons per km². The total area was 96.92 km².The city was founded on April 1, 1954....

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

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He won the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society

Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society

-History:In the early years, more than one medal was often awarded in a year, but by 1833 only one medal was being awarded per year. This caused a problem when Neptune was discovered in 1846, because many felt an award should jointly be made to John Couch Adams and Urbain Le Verrier...

 in 1936. He was one of the first people to be awarded the Order of Culture

Order of Culture

The is a Japanese order, established on February 11, 1937. The order has one class only, and may be awarded to men and women for contributions to Japan's art, literature or culture; recipients of the order also receive an annuity for life...

 when it was established in 1937.

The crater Kimura

Kimura (crater)

Kimura is a small impact crater that is located on the Moon's far side, beyond the southeastern limb. It lies to the west-northwest of the crater Fechner, along the northeastern rim of an unnamed basin in the surface....

 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...

 is named after him, the same for 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...

 6233 Kimura

6233 Kimura

6233 Kimura is a main-belt asteroid discovered on February 8, 1986 by Inoda and Urata at Karasuyama.- External links :*...

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External links

• Awarding of RAS Gold Medal
• Obituary
• Kimura, Hisashi | Portraits of Modern Japanese Historical Figures (National Diet Library
  National Diet Library
  The is the only national library in Japan. It was established in 1948 for the purpose of assisting members of the in researching matters of public policy. The library is similar in purpose and scope to the U.S...
  
  )