Vasiliev Alexander Semenovich General data:
12.09.1868 - 04.03.1947
Place of birth: Nicolayev city, Kherson Province, Russian Empire
Studied in: Imperial Novorossian University, Odessa city, Russian Empire (since 2000 I. I. Mechnikov Odessa National University, Ukraine) (1895);
Key interests: astronomy, geodesy. ScD Thesis: Russian map
Svalbard and its grounds (1916 Imperial Novorossian University, Odessa city);
Biography:
He was born on August 31 (according to the Julian calendar or September 12 according to the Gregorian calendar) in 1868 in the Nicolaev city of Kherson province of the Russian Empire, in the family of a marine mechanical engineer who had the military rank of chief officer, a participant in the Russo-Turkish wars of 1853-1856 and 1877-1878 and the conquest of the Western Caucasus. He was the firstborn in a large family with 6 children.
After graduating from the classical gymnasium in Nicolaev city, he graduated from the Imperial Novorossian University in Odessa in 1895 with a first-degree diploma. His scientific supervisor was Kononovych A.K. Already at the university, he began his scientific activity: he studied the rotation of Venus. And in the penultimate course, on behalf of the Society of Nature Explorers, he carried out extensive work on determining the differences in the level of the Khadzhibey and Kuyalnytsky estuaries and the sea near Odessa city.
In 1894, under the leadership of the director of the University Astronomical Observatory, Professor A.K. Kononovich he completed the work "Leveling connection of sea levels and the Kuyalnytsky and Khadzhibeysky estuaries", and in 1893-1895 he tried to determine the period of rotation of the planet Venus from his visual observations, observed the Perseids, photographed the surface of the Sun and determined the position of spots and flares.
In the summer of 1895, together with A. P. Gansky and F. A. Babichev, he took part in drawing up an accurate map of the Andriivskyi (Kuyalnytskyi) estuary.
In the same 1895, A.S. Vasiliev determined the latitude, longitude, azimuth and height above sea level at the then-established Magnetic Meteorological Observatory on Maly Fontan in Odessa.
In 1896, he was sent to Pulkovo (near St. Petersburg). He worked here during 1896-1897 as the second observer on the vertical circle.
During 1899-1900, he was the deputy head of an expedition organized by the Russian (Russian) and Swedish Academies of Sciences to the island of Svalbard, during which he participated in degree measurement. According to some data, he participated in the expedition and in 1901 Vasiliev and his colleagues managed to measure two-thirds of the meridian arc. A significant part of all observations, and then calculations on the Spitsbergen arc, were performed by the scientist himself. He crossed the land of Syrkapp several times. Then he made the difficult way to the "mountains of Hidenius", climbed Mount Newton and found out that it was really the top of the archipelago. Until 1907, he was in the civil service at the Svalbard Commission at the Academy of Sciences, processing and publishing observations. For the successful completion of the mission of the expedition, he was awarded the Order of St. Stanislaus of the 2nd degree. The Swedish government also awarded him the order, and the Geographical and Russian Astronomical Societies awarded him with medals (from the Russian Geographical society, he received the Przhevalsky medal). Scientific achievements were also marked by the orders of St. Anna of 2nd degree, and St. Volodymyr of 4th degree.
On July 13, 1902, the scientist was appointed a freelance adjunct astronomer of the Main Astronomical Observatory (Pulkov Observatory), from 1907 he worked as an adjunct astronomer, from January 8, 1917 - senior astronomer (after the position was renamed - senior researcher), later headed the astrometry department.
He studied the fluctuations of the pole and the latitude of the place. Participated in compiling the catalog of polar and zodiacal stars. He studied latitude fluctuations on the passage instrument by observing the passage of stars through the plane of the first vertical.
In 1916, he submitted his doctoral dissertation "The Russian Map" to the Imperial Novorossian University in Odessa for the defense Svalbard and its foundations", but he did not have to defend himself.
In 1919, Novorossian University elected him an honorary doctor of astronomy and geodesy ("honoris causa"). In 1935, he was approved for this scientific degree by the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR.
During 1920-1924, he held the position of senior head of surveyors of the Military Engineering Academy and hydrographers of the Maritime Department.
The scientist continued to work at the Repsold telescope until July 13, 1941. Soon after the beginning of the Great Patriotic War of the USSR against fascist Germany, which was part of World War II, the Vasiliev family was evacuated to Tashkent. On December 20, 1941, they flew out of Leningrad. At the Tashkent Observatory on April 20, 1942, the scientist gave a report on his new method of astronomical and geodetic exploration of minerals.
On June 10, 1945, he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.
On January 25, 1947, the scientist was promoted to the rank of professor.
The author of scientific works, in particular the book "On Svalbard and around Svalbard during degree measurement" (1915).
He died on March 4, 1947 from a cerebral hemorrhage. He was buried at the Pulkovo observatory cemetery.
A glacier in the southeast of the island of West Svalbard, mountains on the east coast of the island, a pass in the northwestern part of Serkapp Land on the island of West Svalbard were named after the scientist.
The field of scientific work of the scientist was astronomy and geodesy
Main publications:
1. Васильев А. С. На Шпицберген и по Шпицбергену во время градусного измерения.-Одесса : Коммерч. тип. Б.И. Сапожникова, 1915.-141 с
2. Васильев А. С. Влияние формы и приливов земной атмосферы на зенитные расстояния светил //Известия Российской акад. наук, 1919, т. 13, ч. 1, № 3, с. 175-206
3. Васильев А. С. Нереальная оценка точности нивелирований горизонтальной оси в пассажных инструментах, ч. 1//Известия Акад. наук СССР. Отд. физ.-мат. наук, 1928, № 2, стр. 151—72
4. Васильев А. С. Нереальная оценка точности нивелирований горизонтальной оси в пассажных инструментах, ч. 2 //Известия Акад. наук СССР. Отд. физ.-мат. наук, 1928, № 3. стр. 215—40
Sources:
1 ВИДНЫЕ АСТРОНОМЫ – УЧЕНИКИ А.К.КОНОНОВИЧА /М.Ю.Волянская//Страницы истории астрономии в Одессе", ч.2, 1995, Одесса, с.17
2 Одесская обсерватория. Известные сотрудники, ученики, воспитанники обсерватории
3 Н. О. Миллер, Е. Я. Прудникова НАБЛЮЕНИЯ А. С. ВАСИЛЬЕВА НА ПАССАЖНОМИНСТРУМЕНТЕВ ПЕРВОМ ВЕРТИКАЛЕ//XXXI годичная Международная конференция Санкт-Петербургского отделения Российского национального комитета по истории и философии науки и техники (секция «ИСТОРИЯ АСТРОНОМИИ»), 23 ноября 2010 г- С.5-6
4 1899-1901: Шпицберген. Градусные измерения
