
Marcin Odlanicki Poczobutt (; 30 October 1728 near
Grodno – 7 February 1810 in
Daugavpils
Daugavpils (see also other names) is a state city in southeastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city derives its name. The parts of the city to the north of the river belong to the historical Latvian region ...
) was a
Polish–Lithuanian Jesuit
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
, astronomer and mathematician. He was professor of
Vilnius University
Vilnius University ( Lithuanian: ''Vilniaus universitetas'') is a public research university, which is the first and largest university in Lithuania, as well as one of the oldest and most prominent higher education institutions in Central and Ea ...
for over 50 years, serving as its
rector from 1780 to 1799. The
crater Poczobutt on the
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...
is named after him, as is the
main-belt asteroid
The asteroid belt is a torus-shaped region in the Solar System, centered on the Sun and roughly spanning the space between the orbits of the planets Jupiter and Mars. It contains a great many solid, irregularly shaped bodies called asteroids ...
. Poczobutt is also the author of the University's motto, ''Hinc itur ad astra'' (from here one rises to the stars).
Career
Marcin Odlanicki Poczobutt was born in the village of near Grodno, within
Lithuania proper
Lithuania proper refers to a region that existed within the Grand Duchy of Lithuania where the Lithuanian language was spoken. The primary meaning is identical to the Duchy of Lithuania, a land around which the Grand Duchy of Lithuania evolved. T ...
. He studied at
Vilnius University
Vilnius University ( Lithuanian: ''Vilniaus universitetas'') is a public research university, which is the first and largest university in Lithuania, as well as one of the oldest and most prominent higher education institutions in Central and Ea ...
(1745–1751) and
Charles University
Charles University (CUNI; , UK; ; ), or historically as the University of Prague (), is the largest university in the Czech Republic. It is one of the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest universities in the world in conti ...
in Prague (1754–1756). With brief interruptions he lectured at Vilnius University from 1753 to 1808.
[ Sponsored by ]Michał Fryderyk Czartoryski
Prince Michał Fryderyk Czartoryski (1696–1775) was a Polish nobleman, the Duke of Klewań and , magnate, and Knight of the Order of the White Eagle (from 1726). He headed Poland's Czartoryski " Familia".
He served as Steward of Lithuania fr ...
, he further studied in France, Italy, and Germany from 1762 to 1764. His stay at the Marseille Observatory
Marseille Observatory () is an astronomical observatory located in Marseille, France, with a history that goes back to the early 18th century. In its 1877 incarnation, it was the discovery site of a group of galaxies known as Stephan's Quintet, ...
under inspired him to devote his career to astronomy.[ He earned ]doctorate of philosophy
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
, gained professorship
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a 'person who professes'. Professors ...
, and became director of the Vilnius Astronomical Observatory in 1764.[ The observatory, established by ]Thomas Zebrowski
Thomas Zebrowski (, ; November 24, 1714 in Samogitia – March 18, 1758 in Vilnius) was a Lithuanian Jesuit architect, mathematician, and astronomer. He was instrumental in establishing and funding the Observatory of Vilnius University. Marcin O ...
, was in its early stages of development and Poczobutt worked hard to obtain modern instruments. Despite suppression of the Jesuits
Suppression may refer to:
Laws
* Suppression of Communism Act
*Suppression order a type of censorship where a court rules that certain information cannot be published
* Tohunga Suppression Act 1907, an Act of the Parliament of New Zealand aimed ...
in 1773, the observatory gained royal favour from King Stanisław August Poniatowski
Stanisław II August (born Stanisław Antoni Poniatowski; 17 January 1732 – 12 February 1798), known also by his regnal Latin name Stanislaus II Augustus, and as Stanisław August Poniatowski (), was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuani ...
—it was named royal observatory and Poczobutt became King's astronomer.[ In 1780, Poczobutt was appointed as university rector by the ]Commission of National Education
The Commission of National Education (, KEN, ) was the central educational authority in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, created by the Sejm and King Stanisław August Poniatowski, Stanisław II August on October 14, 1773. Because of its ...
. He was tasked with reforming the university from a medieval school concentrated on humanities (philosophy and theology) to a modern scientific institution.[ Under Poczobutt the university improved its science, medicine, and law departments.][ As rector of the university he promoted the use of Latin and opposed any use of Polish or Lithuanian languages.][
]
Scientific work
He often travelled to London where he ordered astronomical equipment from Jesse Ramsden
Jesse Ramsden Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS FRSE (6 October 1735 – 5 November 1800) was a British mathematician, astronomy, astronomical and scientific instrument maker. His reputation was built on the engraving and design of dividing engine ...
and John Dollond
John Dollond (30 November 1761) was an English optician, known for his successful optics business and his patenting and commercialization of achromatic doublets.
Biography
Dollond was the son of a Huguenot refugee, a silk-weaver at Spitalfie ...
: a 4-foot transit telescope
In astronomy, a transit instrument is a small telescope with an extremely precisely graduated mount used for the precise observation of star positions. They were previously widely used in astronomical observatories and naval observatories to m ...
in 1765, 3.5-foot achromatic telescope
The achromatic telescope is a refracting telescope that uses an achromatic lens to correct for chromatic aberration.
How it works
When an image passes through a lens, the light is refracted at different angles for different wavelengths. This re ...
in 1770, 8-foot mural quadrant
A mural instrument is an angle measuring instrument mounted on or built into a wall. For astronomical purposes, these walls were oriented so they lie precisely on the meridian. A mural instrument that measured angles from 0 to 90 degrees was cal ...
in 1777, and meridian circle
The meridian circle is an instrument for timing of the passage of stars across the local meridian, an event known as a culmination, while at the same time measuring their angular distance from the nadir. These are special purpose telescopes moun ...
in 1788.[ Other purchases included octant, equatorial, two ]theodolite
A theodolite () is a precision optical instrument for measuring angles between designated visible points in the horizontal and vertical planes. The traditional use has been for land surveying, but it is also used extensively for building and ...
s, 10-foot sextant
A sextant is a doubly reflecting navigation instrument that measures the angular distance between two visible objects. The primary use of a sextant is to measure the angle between an astronomical object and the horizon for the purposes of cel ...
.[ The observatory was expanded by architect ]Marcin Knackfus
Marcin Knackfus (; ), was an architect, professor, and military captain from the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
He was first person to introduce Neoclassical architecture in Lithuania. He designed several important buildings in Vilnius, the ...
in 1782–1788 to accommodate the new equipment. Poczobutt observed solar and lunar eclipses, comet
A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that warms and begins to release gases when passing close to the Sun, a process called outgassing. This produces an extended, gravitationally unbound atmosphere or Coma (cometary), coma surrounding ...
s and asteroid
An asteroid is a minor planet—an object larger than a meteoroid that is neither a planet nor an identified comet—that orbits within the Solar System#Inner Solar System, inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids). As ...
s (including Ceres
Ceres most commonly refers to:
* Ceres (dwarf planet), the largest asteroid and first to be discovered
* Ceres (mythology), the Roman goddess of agriculture
Ceres may also refer to:
Places
Brazil
* Ceres, Goiás, Brazil
* Ceres Microregion ...
, Pallas
Pallas may refer to:
Astronomy
* 2 Pallas asteroid
** Pallas family, a group of asteroids that includes 2 Pallas
* Pallas (crater), a crater on Earth's moon
Mythology
* Pallas (Giant), a son of Uranus and Gaia, killed and flayed by Athena
* Pa ...
, Juno
Juno commonly refers to:
*Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods
* ''Juno'' (film), the 2007 film
Juno may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters
*Juno, a character in the book ''Juno of ...
), and calculated geographic coordinates of settlements in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...
(including Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...
and Hrodna
Grodno, or Hrodna, is a city in western Belarus. It is one of the oldest cities in Belarus. The city is located on the Neman River, from Minsk, about from the border with Poland, and from the border with Lithuania. Grodno serves as the ad ...
).[ In addition, he made measurements of Mercury to compute its orbit; later this data was used by ]Jérôme Lalande
Joseph Jérôme Lefrançois de Lalande (; 11 July 1732 – 4April 1807) was a French astronomer, freemason and writer. He is known for having estimated a precise value of the astronomical unit (the distance from the Earth to the Sun) using measu ...
.[ He described 16-star constellation, which he named ]Taurus Poniatovii
Taurus Poniatovii (Latin for ''Poniatowski's bull'') was a constellation created by the former rector of Vilnius University, Marcin Odlanicki Poczobutt, in 1777 to honor Stanislaus II Augustus Poniatowski of Poland, Stanislaus Poniatowski, King of ...
in honour of King Poniatowski (it is now obsolete and considered to be part of the Ophiuchus
Ophiuchus () is a large constellation straddling the celestial equator. Its name comes from the Ancient Greek (), meaning "serpent-bearer", and it is commonly represented as a man grasping a snake. The serpent is represented by the constellati ...
).[ His recorded observations amounted to 34 volumes.][ In 1770 he became the first in Lithuania to systematically measure and record weather temperature (continuous records survive since 1777).][ Poczobutt was elected a ]fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
in 1771 and a corresponding member of the French Academy of Sciences
The French Academy of Sciences (, ) is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French Scientific method, scientific research. It was at the forefron ...
in 1778. He was made a member of the Order of Saint Stanislaus
The Order of Saint Stanislaus (, ), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Poniatowski of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It remained under the Congress Poland, Kingdom of Pola ...
in 1785 and Order of the White Eagle in 1793.[
]
See also
*List of Roman Catholic scientist-clerics
A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poczobutt, Marcin Odlanicki
1728 births
1810 deaths
Fellows of the Royal Society
Members of the French Academy of Sciences
Rectors of Vilnius University
Vilnius University alumni
Charles University alumni
Kościuszko insurgents
Lithuanian astronomers
18th-century Lithuanian Jesuits
18th-century Lithuanian mathematicians
18th-century Lithuanian Roman Catholic priests
18th-century Polish Jesuits
18th-century Polish–Lithuanian mathematicians
18th-century Polish Roman Catholic priests
Jesuit scientists
Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland)