Ukrainian Virtual Observatory

Savron Mstislav Sergeyevich

General data:

22.11.1902 - 13.03.1943

Place of birth: Poltava city, Poltava province, Russian Empire

Studied in: Kharkiv Institute of Public Education (since 1999 V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University) (1922-1928);

Key interests: physics of comets, astrophysics, extragalactic astronomy, cosmology, solar physics, physics of planets, minor bodies of the Solar System, observational astronomy, stellar catalogues, instruments and devices, variable stars, mathematisc, solar corona, nebulae and galaxies, geophysics. PhD Thesis: Distribution of extragalactic nebulae (1933 Kharkiv State University); PhD Thesis: Absorption of photographic rays by the atmosphere (1933 Kharkiv State University); PhD Thesis: Awarded the academic title of Candidate of Astronomical Sciences (without defense, for a set of scientific papers) (1936 A. M. Gorky Kharkiv State University);

Biography:

He was born on November 22 (according to other sources, December 21) 1902 in Poltava city of Poltava province of the Russian Empire, in the family of a petty official.

In 1912 the boy entered the first class of the First Kharkiv Men's Gymnasium.

After her graduation, in 1920, he began his career as a secretary, and later as deputy head of the accounting department of the Kharkiv Provincial Committee for General Labor Duty (Gubkompratsi). For several years he was engaged in administrative work, actively involved in public activities: Deputy Chairman of the so-called "komsluzh" "Gubkompratsi", a member of the Committee "DonGolod".

In 1928 he graduated from the Kharkiv Institute of Public Education with a degree in astronomy, where he entered.

In the same year he began his work at the Kharkiv Astronomical Observatory, since January 1926 he regularly attended the scientific meeting of the Observatory.

In 1933 he graduated from the graduate school of the Astronomical Observatory of Kharkiv State University under the guidance of Professor B. P. Gerasimovych, which he entered in 1928. He studied astrophysics, focusing on structural stellar astronomy, which he chose as his specialty, astrophotometry and basic astrophotometry and research. He completed his postgraduate studies in two scientific papers: "Distribution of extragalactic nebulae" and "Absorption of photographic rays by the atmosphere".

The scientist conducted extensive teaching activities. He taught mathematics at the Kharkiv Automobile Training Plant in 1928–1931, taught world science at the Kharkiv Institute of Political (later Communist) Education in 1928–1933, cosmography at the working faculty of the Kharkiv Geodetic Institute in 1930–1933, and astronomy and physics in Kharkov Pedagogical Institute of Vocational Education since 1930, since 1930 he has been a permanent lecturer of the Kharkiv Scientific Society, taught astronomy at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of the Kharkiv Institute of Public Education and in a number of other institutions of higher education in Kharkiv city in 1931-1932. Kharkiv State University in 1934–1941. In addition, in the fall of 1934, the administration of Kharkiv State University additionally appointed him a lecturer in physics at the Evening Teachers' University.

In 1928–1929, when his mentor B. P. Gerasimovych was on a business trip to the United States, M. S. Savron chose the following topics: "Theory of planetary lighting"; "On the Ring of Saturn" ("Theory of the Ring of Saturn") and others, who also took care of Professor M. P. Barabashov. In 1929–1930, after the return of Professor B. P. Gerasimovych, he made reports: "On the possibility of the existence of four groups of variable stars"; "Absolute values and the period of Cepheid"; "Dependence between the absolute brightness and periodicity of variable stars"; "Light absorption in interstellar space". Since 1930, focusing on the study of extragalactic objects, he has been working on the following issues: "Andromeda Nebula as a star cluster"; "Anagalactic Nebulae"; "On the accumulation of Ceta-Virgo nebulae" and others.

The scientist performed statistical processing of materials from two "Catalogs of Nebulae" compiled by German astronomers Friedrich Becker in 1928 and Karl Rheinmuth in 1926. After analyzing about 4,000 objects by galactic zones (listed in the F. Becker Catalog), he calculated their number by brightness, separately for the northern and southern galactic hemispheres. He also developed a map on which this distribution of galaxies was illustrated in longitude and latitude (the plane of the Milky Way was chosen as the main plane (equator). 4592 objects were marked on this map.

In the spring of 1931, he observed and photographed a lunar eclipse, capturing changes in the brightness of its details as they plunged into partial shade.

He actively worked on his own program of observations, mainly with the help of the Mertz refractor: he focuses color filters with the involvement of a photographic scale; explores the Orion Nebula; systematically observes the Sun; photographs a number of main-belt asteroids, including Aquitaine, Iris, and Ceres, the smallest of the dwarf planets in the solar system. In April-May 1931, together with other Kharkiv astronomers, he was on a scientific trip to the Simeiz Observatory in the Crimea, where he studied the spectra of stars.

In the summer of 1931, the Kharkiv Observatory received a new modern instrument - an eight-inch Zeiss refractor. The scientist was one of the first to start observing a new instrument. Sice that moment on, the main scientific goal for him was to observe the transparency of the Earth's atmosphere, which later formed the theme of his future dissertation.

In the early 30s of the XX century together with P. G. Parkhomenko, he carefully focused the 160-millimeter photographic lens of the Zeiss refractor for several months using multi-colored filters.

The period summer 1931 - summer 1932 is marked by high activity of observational work. Using the Mertz telescope, he continues to explore small planets, photographing the large asteroids Vesta and Flora; experiments with photography to obtain out-of-focal images using a Zeiss refractor; photographs with various lenses a large cloud in the constellation Cygnus, a globular cluster of Hercules, using red and blue filters; explores a globular cluster in the constellation Pegasus; with the help of the Zeiss refractor is engaged in the manufacture of scales of subpolar stars for the reference star and standards of star clusters; photographs the zone of the Pole (through a yellow filter) to obtain photovisual values; systematically observes the Sun.

In the fall of 1932, the graduate student focused on the problem of absorbing photographic rays in the Earth's atmosphere. For her sake, he spent a long preparatory work with the Mertz refractor, then studied the Swan Delta, one of the eight brightest stars in the Northern Hemisphere. Among other areas of his work were conducting short exposures of the sky on a 200-mm Zeiss refractor and focusing with light filters for the planned determination of photovisual quantities. Using a Hartmann microphotometer, he made photometric measurements of one of the brightest new stars, the New in the Constellation of the Eagle in 1918.

On June 7, 1933, a scientific meeting of the Kharkiv Astronomical Observatory was held, devoted to the "defense of the postgraduate internship" of M. S. Savron, the results of his work at the observatory and the transition "to scientists." In essence, this "transition" was equal to the public defense of the dissertation. By order of the rector of Kharkiv State University dated September 23, 1933 № 69 he was appointed associate professor of mathematics, and on October 28, 1933 he became a researcher at the Kharkiv Astronomical Observatory. Only in 1936, in connection with the restoration of academic degrees and titles abolished after the revolution, the administration of the Gorky Kharkiv State University applied to the Rector's Office of Kharkiv State University with a request to award M. S. Savron the degree of Candidate of Astronomical Sciences without defense. dissertations (on a set of prepared scientific works). But the scientists themselves prepared a dissertation on the topic: "Determination of the coefficient of transparency of the atmosphere in Kharkov", under the guidance of Barabashov M. P., which was properly tested at the university. According to the Resolution of the State Qualification Commission of the NGO of the USSR of June 25, 1936, he was awarded the degree of Candidate of Astronomical Sciences (without defense, for a set of scientific papers).

For six months, beginning in December 1934, he observed the star DQ Hercules - New in the constellation Hercules in 1934.

Together with the researcher V. A. Mikhailov in early 1935, he studied the long-period comet C / 1935 A1 (Johnson).

In the process of preparation for the observation of full solar observation on June 19, 1936, in the first half of the 1930's, he and Professor M. P. Barabashov developed designs for new mobile cassettes for the Mertz and Zeiss refractors. Together with the observer mechanic A. S. Saligin, he repairs and updates the lighting in the Zeiss refractor. During an expedition to the Caucasus, the scientist made observations using a 4-meter coronograph. Adverse weather conditions during the total eclipse phase did not allow the expedition to obtain a significant number of images suitable for accurate photometric processing. But most of the successful images of the crown were taken by M. S. Sauron, who also performed their processing and measurement using a Hartmann microphotometer. It should be added that two years earlier he was appointed as Researcher B. E. Semeykin's assistant in search of the best place to observe the eclipse of the Pulkovo expedition in the North Caucasus under an agreement between the Kharkiv and Pulkovo Observatories.

At the beginning of 1936, the scientific program of the scientist of the A. M. Gorky Kharkiv State University consists of three main directions: 1) study of the Sun (preparation for observations of a total solar eclipse in 1936 and ordering of scientific equipment); 2) study of stars (brightness of the New Star in the constellation Hercules and determination of temperatures of O-type stars); 3) work on the astrometry sector (determination of comet positions).

While in the North Caucasus, the astronomer also joined observations of the New Star, which erupted in the early summer of 1936 in the constellation Lizard (Nova Lacertae).

At the end of 1936, at the observatory, he completed the fundamental work of cataloging all the old astronegatives.

In January 1937, the scientist was appointed scientific secretary of the Kharkiv Astronomical Observatory. During the same year, the astronomer performed photometric studies of the Andromeda Nebula in blue and red rays and spectrophotometric studies of O-type stars; was engaged in the determination of telluric lines in the infrared part of the spectrum of the Sun and stars of types since B0 to K0.

Since 1937 to 1940 he held the position of Dean of the Faculty of Geography at the Pedagogical Institute, during the 1939/1940 academic year he worked on the organization of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics, and since August 1940 until the liquidation of the Institute he was the Dean of the newly formed Faculty of Physics and Mathematics institutions.

In October 1938, the professor became acting head of the Department of Astronomy of the Kharkiv State Pedagogical Institute, which was created by dividing the Department of Physiography into two: astronomy and geology. During this period he focused exclusively on the study of variable stars according to the Central Commission for the Study of Variable Stars. (separate fields № 52 and № 56 were observed). 1939 and 1940 were devoted to the study of variable stars.

In 1940, the scientist became the dean of the newly created Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of the Kharkiv State Pedagogical Institute.

In the second half of September 1941, the evacuation of industry, cultural and educational institutions and material values began in Kharkiv. According to the order of the director of the Kharkiv State Pedagogical Institute of September 20, 1941 № 122 in connection with the evacuation of the Institute, all teaching staff are dismissed. According to the plan, they were to be evacuated to Uzbekistan, to Samarkand. Coincidentally, the professor and his family stayed in Kharkiv сity.

In the spring of 1942, the Committee of Research Institutes under the Kharkiv City Administration, which was established to unite the activities of more than 60 different research institutions that served the most important industries of the city: industry, agriculture and health care, began to register specialists. who remained in the occupied city. The astronomer was among them. In May 1942 he was appointed Deputy Head of the Department of Humanities, Natural Sciences and Medical Sciences. At the end of June 1942, by order of the German commandant of Kharkiv, Lieutenant General Schmidt-Logan, the Council of Sciences was established - the highest scientific body of the city. The professor was appointed scientific secretary of the institution. He was also a member of the educational and methodological section of the Council. For several months, the scientist worked in various positions in the Scientific and Technical Department: in July - he was deputy head of higher education; in August - holds the position of one of the secretaries of the Board.

According to the order of the German command of Kharkiv dated August 31, 1942, all existing research institutes, managed by the Scientific and Technical Administration, were to be transferred to WIKADO, a unit of the German command that was engaged in establishing the economy in the occupied territories. Therefore, on September 1, 1942, a number of employees of the Board were dismissed, including M. S. Savron.

He was shot by the Germans during the Nazi occupation of Kharkiv in 1942 (according to the report of Associate Professor V. A. Mikhailov, he died on March 13, 1943 because of a shot by an SS soldier due to astronom's vision problems ...).

Main publications:
  1. Mikhaylov V. О., Sawron М. S. (1935). Photographic observations of comet 1935a Johnson on a 16-cm and 12-cm Zeiss astrographs at Kharkiv Astronomical Observatory of KhGU. Publications of the Kharkiv Astronomical Observatory, vol. 3, p. 3 (in Ukrainian).
  2. Sawron М. S. (1935). Atmospheric absorption of photographic rays. Publications of the Kharkiv Astronomical Observatory, vol. 5, p. 49–54 (in Ukrainian)
  3. Sawron М. S. (1935). Distribution of extragalactic nebulae. Publications of the Kharkiv Astronomical Observatory, vol. 5, p. 39–47 (in Ukrainian).
  4. Sawron М. S. (1938). Observation of Nova Herculis 1934. Publications of the Kharkiv Astronomical Observatory, vol. 6, p. 47–49 (in Ukrainian).

Sources:
  1 Астрономы харьковсского университета в годы Великой Отечественной войны/ Ю. В. Александров//UNIVERSITATES. Наука и просвещение. – 2005. – № 4 (24). - С. 231.
  2 Современній очерк истори астрономии в Харьковском университете / Ю. В. Александров, Ю.Г. Шкуратов //200 лет Харьковской астрономии / Под ред. Ю. Г. Шкуратова. — Харьков: Харьков. нац. ун-т им. В. Н. Каразина, 2008.—632 с.-С.86
  3 АСТРОНОМЫ ХАРЬКОВСКОГО УНИВЕРСИТЕТА В ГОДЫ ВЕЛИКОЙ ОТЕЧЕСТВЕННОЙ ВОЙНЫ / Ю. В. Александров //200 лет Харьковской астрономии / Под ред. Ю. Г. Шкуратова. — Харьков: Харьков. нац. ун-т им. В. Н. Каразина, 2008.—632 с.-Ч1-С.95
  4 Барабашов Н. П. О восстановлении астрономической обсерватории Харьковского государственного университета имени А. М. Горького.- Бюлетень астрономической обсерватории Харьковского государственного университета имени А. М. Горького, 1944, №4