Marian Albertovich Kowalski

Marian Albertovich Kowalski (Russian Мариан Альбертович Ковальский; * August 15, 1821 or 15 October 1821 in Dobrzyń, Poland, † May 28, 1884 and July 9, 1884 in Kazan ) was a Polish- Russian astronomer.

He studied at the University of Saint Petersburg. From 1852 on, he was the director of the observatory and Dean of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics in Kazan.

His most important work was the analysis of the proper motion of 3136 fixed stars in the star catalog by James Bradley. This represented the first applicable method to derive the rotation of the Milky Way. Based on this work, he refuted the view that a single massive body in the center of our galaxy is responsible for the movement of the stars.

In the field of celestial mechanics he developed improved methods to derive the orbit of a planet from observations, and he analyzed the mathematics of disturbances in planetary motions. In particular, he made a more accurate determination of the orbit of the planet Neptune. He also created an improved method for the determination of the orbits of double stars.

His most important works were published in 1859 under the title Recherches astronomiques de l' Observatoire de Kazan.

He is buried in the Catholic cemetery of Kazan.

The craters on Mars and the Koval'sky Koval'skiy on the Moon are named in his honor.