Eygenson Maurice (Moritz) Semenovich (Solomonovich) General data:
21.01.1906 - 15.08.1962
Place of birth: Yekatersnoslav city ,Yekaterinoslavskyi province, Russian Empire (since 2016, Dnipro city, Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine)
Studied in: Leningrad State University (since 1991 St. Petersburg University ) (1927);
Key interests: Jupiter and its satellites, extragalactic astronomy, cosmology, solar physics, solar-terrestrial connections, geophysics
Biography:
He was born 8 (on Julian calendar or 21 on Gregorian calendar) in January 1906 in Ekaterinoslav of the Katerynoslav governorate of the Russian Empire (since 2016 in Dnipro City of Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine) in the family of a merchant.
In 1927 he graduated from Leningrad State University, then he was postgraduate study at the university, later taught at it, in 1939 became a professor.
In 1929 he became one of the organizers and leaders at the Leningrad State University section of interplanetary communications, bringing together scientists and students of physics and chemistry - astronomers, mechanics, physicists, chemists. The section organizes lectures, reports, seminars and subsequently conducts experiments in the field of jet traffic.
When, in April 1932, the Astronomical Observatory of the Leningrad State University was reorganized into an independent scientific research institute, it became the head of the astrophysics and theoretical astronomy department and the scientific secretary of the astronomy observatory.
At the same time in 1934-1953 he worked at the Pulkovo Observatory and during 1938-1951 was the head of the Sun's service department.
In 1932-1943 he investigated the absorption of light inside galaxies and in the intergalactic environment and confirmed the random distribution in the space of directions of the axes of rotation of spiral galaxies, due to the apparent ordering of which concerning the galaxy, some astronomers, including Reynold, denied the theory.
In 1934, together with L. V. Misovsky, he conducted experiments in which, with the help of Wilson's camera, he proved the presence of neutrons in the composition of cosmic rays.
In 1938 he received a scientific degree of Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences.
He participated in the joint expedition of the Main Astronomical Observatory of the USSR, the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, and the Abastumian Astrophysical Observatory on Observation of Solar Eclipse on July 9, 1945, Sortavala (Karelia).
During 1937-1951 the astronomer was chairman of the Solar Commission of the Astronomical Council of the USSR Academy of Sciences, supervising the work of the Sun's network of services in the USSR.
In 1952, during the campaign "to combat cosmopolitanism", he was suspended from the position of the physics department of the Sun Physics of the Pulkovo Observatory and released from Leningrad State University.
During 1954-1959 (according to some data since 1953) he headed the astronomical observatory of Ivan Franko Lviv State University.
He died on August 15, 1962 in Lviv, Ukrainian SSR.
The scientific works of the scientist are devoted to extra-galactic astronomy, cosmology, as well as the statistical study of solar activity and its geophysical manifestations. He also paid attention to the study of Jupiter and its moons.
In 1935–1938, a scientist investigated galactic light absorption. He showed that in all spiral galaxies there is an absorbing substance. In 1938, he pointed to the presence of dark matter between galaxies. Developed new methods for determining the optical thickness of the Galaxy. It finally established the absence of a systematic orientation in the directions of the rotation axes in spiral galaxies. He is the author of the first Soviet Union monograph on extra-galactic astronomy - The Great Universe (1936) and other monographs.
He also investigated the geophysical effects caused by solar activity, which allowed him to make sound predictions of some of the processes on Earth caused by the influence of the sun. He proposed new indices of solar activity. He established the existence of an age-old solar cycle, which manifests itself in some geophysical phenomena. In particular, the ā index which was developed by him, characterizing the power of solar phenomena, proved to be very representative for representing the 11-year cyclical course of such large processes as the number of deep cyclones over the seas that wash Europe from the north.
In 1957-1958 he did a great job in organizing observations on the International Geophysical Year program.
Main publications:
1. Эйгенсон М. С. Внегалактическая астрономия. М., 1960.-414с.
2. Эйгенсон М. С. Основные моменты истории вопроса о бесконечности Вселенной. II. От коперниканской эпохи до конца XIX в.— Природа, 1941, №6, 81 — 84.
3. Эйгенсон М. С. Исключительная группа солнечных пятен.— Природа, 1940, №8, 58 — 59.
4. Струве В. Я. Этюды звездной астрономии: монография/Редакция: Михайлова А.А., Переводчик: Эйгенсон М.С., Изд-во Акад. наук СССР, Серия: Классики науки, 1953.-231 с.
Sources:
1 Hockey T., Trimble V., Williams Th. R., et al. The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers. — New York: Springer, 2013.—Vol. 1, 2.
2 Справочный биографический материал
3 pomnipro.ru
4 Астрономічна обсерваторія/Логвиненко О., Новосядлий Б.//Encyclopedia. Львівський національний університет імені Івана Франка. В 2т. Т.1: А-К/ Виконавча рада: І.О. Вакарчук (голова) М.В. Лозинський (заст. голови), Р.М. Шуст (заст. голови), В.М. Качмар (відп. секретар) та ін. – Львів: ЛНУ імені Івана Франка. 2011. – С. 162
