Otto Wilhelm von Struve

Otto Wilhelm von Struve (Cyrillic Отто Васильевич Струве; * 25 Apriljul / May 7 1819greg in Tartu, Estonia, .. † April 16, 1905 in Karlsruhe ) was a Baltic German astronomer.

Life

Struve was the son of the astronomer Wilhelm Struve. With 15 years Struve began at the University of Dorpat to study astronomy. During his studies he worked as an intern with his father at the observatory of Dorpat. 1839 Struve concluded his studies with a PhD and got a job at the observatory in Pulkovo as an adjunct astronomer. In his research, there Struve in 1841 discovered a new determination of the precession.

1847 convened the General Staff of the tsarist army Struve advisory for astronomers. He held this office 15 years. As such, he headed the geodetic- astronomical work. 1848 Struve became the second director of the observatory in Pulkovo and 1856 promoted him to be ao Professor. Two years later he was promoted to Second astronomers and 1861 full professor.

The Russian Academy of Sciences in 1861 Struve took on as a full member. A year later, Struve became the successor of his father and worked until 1889 as director of the observatory. 1867 he was appointed chairman of the then internationally operating Astronomical Society. At the request of the Academy Struve 1887 was appointed Privy reality.

With 71 years Otto Struve retired and moved to Germany. He settled in Karlsruhe, where he (now Corps Baltica Borussia Danzig Bielefeld) was a member of the Corps Baltica and died there at the age of 86 years on 16 April 1905.

Struve observed 500 new double star systems in the northern sky. He examined the Saturn and its rings, determined the mass of Neptune, discovered an inner satellites of Uranus. In addition, measured the parallax of various fixed stars, made observations about the variability in the Orion Nebula and smaller, distributed therein stars. He also conducted numerous observations of comets. In 1851 he showed during an eclipse, that the prominences belong to the sun body. He also participated in the measurement of a degree, which extends over 69 degrees of longitude between Valentia Iceland in the southwest of Ireland and Orsk at the Asian boundary.

In 1850 he was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Otto Struve was the father of Hermann von Struve and Ludwig von Struve, both turn astronomers. He is also the grandfather of the astronomer Otto Struve.

Publications

• Overview of the activity of Nikolai main observatory during the first 25 years of its existence (Petersburg, 1865)
• Observations de Poulkowa ( Pulkovo, 1869-87, 12 volumes)