Ukrainian Virtual Observatory

Astapovich Igor Stanislavovich

General data:

11.01.1908 - 02.01.1976

Place of birth: Vovchansk city, Kharkov province, Russian Empire

Studied in: Moscow State University ( since 1940 M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University) (?-1928); Leningrad State University (since 1991 St. Petersburg State University) (1928-1930);

Key interests: minor bodies of the Solar System, astronomy, space missions. PhD Thesis: Received the scientific degree of the candidate of physical mathematics. Sciences without defense of the dissertation (1935 P.K. Sternberg State Astronomical Institute, M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University); ScD Thesis: Meteoric phenomena in the Earth's atmosphere (1962 Ulyanov-Lenin Kazan Order of the Red Banner of Labor State University);

Biography:

He was born January 11, 1908 according to the Gregorian calendar or December 29, 1907 according to the Julian calendar in Volochansk city of the Kharkiv province of the Russian Empire in the family of a teacher of physics and mathematics at the Teaching Seminary.

The childhood of a future scientist was held in Novgorod-Seversk of Chernigov province, where his father was an inspector of public schools, and after 1917 - an instructor of public education.

At the age of 13, the boy was interested in astronomy, and already in 1925, a 17-year-old boy was elected as a correspondent member of the Russian Society of Lovers of Myriodenium, founded in 1909 by N. A. Morozov in Moscow until his closure at the end of 1930.

After graduating from the Technical School in Nikolaev city, the young man entered the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of the Moscow State University in the field of "astronomy"; in 1928, under family circumstances, he was forced to transfer to the Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) University, which graduated in 1930.

During 1928-1932 he worked at the Institute of Applied Geophysics and during 1931-1932 he headed the magneto-metric expedition of the Institute of Applied Physics in the territory of Eastern Siberia. Simultaneously with the winter periods of 1928-1930, he worked as a freelance scientist of a meteorite department at the Mineralogical Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences in Leningrad under the direction of V. I. Vernadsky and A. E. Forsma.

Since November 1932 to 1933 (according to some data until 1934), he was the first director of the Tajik Astronomical Observatory in Stalinabad (Dushanbe), which he founded.

During 1934-1941 he worked as a senior researcher at the P. K. Sternberg State Astronomical Institute.

In 1935, without protection, he was awarded a Ph.D. degree in Physics and Mathematics.

Since 1937 he was Associate Professor at the Moscow University at the Department of Comet Astronomy. He was the first to create lectures on meteoric astronomy, which he read at Moscow University since 1937, at Saratov University - since 1938, in Ashgabat - since 1954, and later in Odessa and Kyiv Universities.

During 1942-1959 he worked as a senior researcher of the Physics and Technology Institute of the Turkmen Branch (since 1951, the Academy of Sciences of the Turkmen SSR), the USSR Academy of Sciences, the organizer of the Observatory and Astrophysical Laboratory in Ashgabat.

In May 1962, in the V. I. Ulyanov-Lenin Kazan Order of the Red Banner of Labor State University, the astronomer defended his doctoral dissertation, presenting to protect his monograph "Meteor phenomena in the atmosphere of the Earth", for which the Higher Attestation Commission in March 1963 awarded him a degree Doctor of Physics and Mathematics.

During 1959-1960, he was the head of the department of the Observatory of the I. I. Mechnikov Odessa State University, and since 1960-1973 he was a member of the T. G. Shevchenko Kyiv Order of Lenin State University. Since 1966 he was a professor at the Department of Astronomy of the T. G. Shevchenko Kyiv Order of Lenin State University.

Arriving in Odessa in 1959, he became one of the developers of the technology of observing artificial Earth conjoint.

Together with O. I. Kizimirchak (Polonskaya), N. A. Belyaev and A. K. Terent'eva first studied the perturbed motion of the Leonid meteor shower, a meteoric flow with a radiate in the constellation Lev (RA = 153°, Decl. = + 22°), which operates from November 14 to November 21, with a periodicity of 33 years, being generated by the Comet 55P/Tempel - Tuttle) during the period 1700-2000.

He suggested that the Earth's atmosphere has a radiant gas tail, which like comets, is always extended in the opposite direction from the Sun. His assumption was confirmed in 1949 by Fesenkov V. G.

The scientist was a member of the International Astronomical Union. He was awarded the Order of the "Badge of Honor", "Labor Red Banner", a medal "For Valiant Labor".

Died January 2, 1976,

He is the author and co-author of 10 monographs, over 400 scientific works on meteoric phenomena in the Earth's atmosphere. During the period 1942-1959, the astronomer collected an archive of observations of 40,000 meteors.

Small planet №2408 wears name of astronomer.

Main publications:
  1. Казимирчак-Полонская Е. И., Беляев Н. А., Астапович И. С., Терентьева А. К. Исследование возмущённого движения метеорного роя Леонид // Астрономический журнал. М., 1967. Т. 44. № 3. С. 616—629.
  2. Kazimirchak-Polonskaja E.I., Beljaev N.A., Astapovich I.S., Terenteva А. К. Investigation of perturbed motion of the Leonid meteor stream. In "Physics and dynamics of meteors. Eds. L. Kresak and P.M. Millman. Dordrecht-Holland, 1968. P. 449—475.
  3. Астапович И.С. Метеорные явления в атмосфере Земли. — М.: Физматгиз, 1958. — 640 с.
  4. Астапович И.С. Опыт методики обработки визуальных наблюдений метеоров // Труды института физики и геофизики АН Туркм. ССР // Изд-во АН Туркм. ССР. — Ашхабад. — 1956. — 2. — С. 5–121.

Sources:
  1 Кафедра астрономії та фізики космосу, Фізичний факультет, Київський національний університет імені Тараса Шевченка
  2 Колчинский И. Г., Корсунь А. А., Родригес М. Г. Астрономы: Биографический справочник. — Киев: Наук. думка, 1986.—510 с.-24-25
  3 Справочный биографический материал
  4 Терентьєва О. К. Ігор Станіславович Астапович // Астрономічна обсерваторія Київського національного університету імені Тараса Шевченка. 160 років / відп. ред. В. М. Єфіменко. – Київ, 2005. – 260 с.- C.155-158