Nikolai Chernykh is a well-known specialist in the field of astrometry. An unrivaled researcher and a man in love with science. Together with his group, he discovered an incredible number of minor planets and asteroids.
Biography
In 1931, in the city of Usman (at that time it belonged to the Voronezh region, now it is the Lipetsk region) Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh was born. The family was simple, my father worked as a mechanical tractor driver, and my mother worked as a bookkeeper on a farm. Kolya was modest and kind, studied well. He loved to make or compose something, managed to help his parents. His mother often called him "my wise guy" and supported his hobbies. Two more girls grew up in the family - Nina and Valentina. Ten years later, the family will move to the Irkutsk region, in the village of Sheragul. Then a planned resettlement of people to Siberia was carried out, and the Chernykh family fell under this program.
The father of the family died at the front in 1943, and Nikolai had to take on a significant part of his homework.
Nikolai received school education in a regular educational institution. Somewhere he found magazines and clippings according to his interests and read them with enthusiasm. Once he made a telescope - no one knows where the boy got the mirrors and lenses.
After leaving school he was called up for military service, he served in Port Arthur. Demobilization occurred in 1954, he left the army with the rank of junior lieutenant and immediately entered the Irkutsk Pedagogical Institute.
In the fourth year, Nikolai was hired by the laboratory of the All-Russian Research Institute of Physical, Technical and Radio Engineering Measurements. After that, he combined his studies with work tasks. The first entry in his workbook was a note on the appointment of an astronomer - that’s how observer astronomers were recorded. Almost immediately, he was instructed to establish and master Danjon's astrolabe, to make recommendations on working with it.
In his student years, Nicholas was almost immediately chosen as the headman. The position was given for hard work and a keen mind, and also for a fanatical hobby for astronomy.
The observatory of the native institute was in decline, old devices could be repaired for months. Therefore, Nicholas was invited to the Irkutsk State University for observation. The famous Siberian astronomer A. Kaverin introduced him to the observatory and introduced him to experimental work. The observations were then carried out using the Zeiss telescope, which now took its place of honor in the museum of the Irkutsk university.
The 50s were rich in large-scale astronomical phenomena. In 1956, the great confrontation of Mars was recorded, in 1957 two bright comets flew by. Then there were the first launches of Soviet satellites.
Scientific activity
In 1961, Chernykh became a graduate student at the Institute of Theoretical Astronomy in Leningrad. In 1963, N. Chernykh, together with his wife Lyudmila, went to the Crimean Observatory to track small planets. There they were hired as junior research assistants.
The work at the observatory was diverse: we observed automatic interplanetary stations, performed a complex of work on the laser location of the Moon - this is measuring distances to clarify the gravitational constant, checking the theory of relativity, etc.
In 1963, Chernykh began to implement a whole range of measures to observe small planets and comets. The work was large-scale, so the couple initiated the creation of a special working group in 1964. Lyudmila Chernykh became the leader, and Nikolai Stepanovich was responsible for the methodological work. The Crimean Group has long been a world leader in observations in this sector.
Achievements, Discoveries, and Rewards
Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh did a great job of improving the astrograph, on which the main observations were made. Under his leadership, new cadre of observers were being prepared - they were then enlisted in the staff of the observatory and they helped in collecting information. In the entire history of observations of small planets, the review of the Crimean group was the most comprehensive - it covered 80% of the planets known at that time.
The team members discovered an incredible number of small planets. The number of those listed in the catalog is 1285, and 537 of them were personally discovered by N. Chernykh. Of the known in scientific circles, one can note an asteroid from the group of “Trojans” Antenor, two periodic comets, an asteroid Steins. In 2014, the group of scientists by the volume of accumulated information became the 31st among 1459 astronomical organizations.
In the last years of his life, Black actively worked in the international project Spaceguard, which tracks asteroids approaching the Earth. His group received a grant from the American Planetary Society, which was sent to modernize the telescope.
More than 1200 small planets discovered by the Crimean group were given names. This was also the maintenance of patriotism, since the names of the Heroes of the USSR, outstanding scientific and cultural figures, and geographical names were chosen for the names.
Nikolai Chernykh was a member of the International Astronomical Union, European and Eurasian Astronomical Societies.
He is the author of more than 200 scientific works. In three collective monographs, he was co-authored.
Scientific Advisor to the Ukrainian Ecological Academy of Sciences since 1998.
Doctor of physical and mathematical sciences.
Among the most significant awards:
- three medals of the Astrosoviet of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR "For the discovery of new astronomical objects";
- badge of honor from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences;
- International Prize "Slavs";
- medal of N. Copernicus of the Polish Academy of Sciences and many others.
In addition, the famous astronomer has an impressive amount of diplomas of various levels.
