Ejnar Hertzsprung

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Ejnar Hertzsprung
Hertzsprung (right) and Karl Schwarzschild in front of the Göttingen Observatory building (1909)
Born(1873-10-08)8 October 1873
Copenhagen, Denmark
Died21 October 1967(1967-10-21) (aged 94)
Roskilde, Denmark
Alma materCopenhagen Polytechnic (DTU)
Known forHertzsprung gap
Hertzsprung–Russell diagram
SpouseHenriette Mariette Augustine Albertine Kapteijn
Parents
  • Severin Carl Ludvig Hertzsprung (father)
  • Henriette Christiane Charlotte Frost (mother)
AwardsBruce Medal (1937)
Gold Medal of RAS (1929)
Scientific career
FieldsChemistry, Astronomy
InstitutionsLeiden Observatory

Ejnar Hertzsprung (Danish: [ˈɑjnɐ ˈhɛɐ̯tsˌpʁɔŋ]; 8 October 1873 – 21 October 1967) was a Danish chemist and astronomer.

Career

Hertzsprung was born in

spectral type could have widely different absolute magnitudes. In 1909, he took a position at the Göttingen Observatory under director Karl Schwarzschild.[2]

In 1911 Hertzsprung developed the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram, independently developed in 1913 by Henry Norris Russell.

In 1913 Hertzsprung determined the distances to several

Henrietta Leavitt, between Cepheid period and luminosity. In this determination he made a mistake, possibly a slip of the pen, putting the stars 10 times too close. He used this relationship to estimate the distance to the Small Magellanic Cloud. From 1919 to 1946, Hertzsprung worked at Leiden Observatory in the Netherlands, from 1937 as director. Among his graduate students at Leiden was Gerard Kuiper
.

Perhaps his greatest contribution to astronomy was the development of a classification system for stars to divide them by spectral type, stage in their development, and luminosity. He used the earlier classification system developed by Antonia Maury in his work.[4] The so-called "Hertzsprung–Russell Diagram" has been used ever since as a classification system to explain stellar types and stellar evolution. He also discovered two asteroids, one of which is 1627 Ivar, an Amor asteroid.[5]

His wife Henrietta (1881–1956) was a daughter of the Dutch astronomer Jacobus Kapteyn. Hertzsprung died in Roskilde in 1967. The asteroid 1693 Hertzsprung was named in his honour.[6]

Asteroids discovered

  • 1627 Ivar (25 September 1929)
  • 1702 Kalahari
    (7 July 1924)

Honors

Awards and Honors
Named after him

Sources

  • Sky & Telescope, January, 1968, Sky Publishing Corporation,
    Cambridge

References

  1. ISBN 9789004100060
    .
  2. Bibcode:1973JBAA...83..460H
    .
  3. Bibcode:1913AN....196..201H
    .
  4. ^ Hoffleit, D. "Reminiscences on Antonia Maury and the c-Characteristic." The MK Process at 50 Years: A Powerful Tool for Astrophysical Insight. Vol. 60. 1994.
  5. ISBN 978-3-540-29925-7
    .
  6. ISBN 978-3-540-29925-7
    .
  7. ^ "Ejnar Hertzsprung". American Academy of Arts & Sciences. 9 February 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  8. ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 25 April 2023.

External links

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