Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh ( rus, Никола́й Степа́нович Черны́х, , nʲɪkɐˈlaj sʲtʲɪˈpanəvʲɪtɕ tɕɪrˈnɨx, links=yes; 6 October 1931 – 25 May 2004Казакова, Р.К.
Памяти Николая Степановича Черных
'. Труды Государственного астрономического института им. П.К. Штернберга, Т. 78, М., 2005. – 115 с.) was a Russian-born Soviet

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...

and

discoverer of minor planets This is a list of minor-planet discoverers credited by the Minor Planet Center with the discovery of one or several minor planets (such as near-Earth and main-belt asteroids, Jupiter trojans and distant objects). , the discovery of 612,011 num ...

and

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 at the

Crimean Astrophysical Observatory The Crimean Astrophysical Observatory (CrAO, obs. code: 095) is located at Nauchnij research campus, near the Central Crimean city of Bakhchysarai, on the Crimean peninsula. CrAO is often called simply by its location and campus name ...

in Nauchnyi,

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

Biography and work

Chernykh was born in the Russian city of Usman in

Voronezh Oblast Voronezh Oblast is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Voronezh. Its population was 2,308,792 as of the Russian Census (2021), 20 ...

, in present-day

Lipetsk Oblast Lipetsk Oblast () is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Lipetsk. As of the Russian Census (2021), 2021 Census, its population was&n ...

. He specialized in

astrometry Astrometry is a branch of astronomy that involves precise measurements of the positions and movements of stars and other Astronomical object, celestial bodies. It provides the kinematics and physical origin of the Solar System and this galaxy, th ...

and the dynamics of small bodies in the

Solar System The Solar SystemCapitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Sola ...

and worked at the

from 1963. Chernykh discovered two periodic comets 74P/Smirnova–Chernykh and

101P/Chernykh 101P/Chernykh is a periodic comet which was first discovered on 19 August 1977, by Nikolaj Stepanovich Chernykh. It will next come to perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) in 2034. In April 1991, the comet was observed to split in two. Zd ...

. He also discovered a very large number of

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 notably

2867 Šteins 2867 Šteins (provisional designation ) is an irregular, diamond-shaped background asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately in diameter. It was discovered on 4 November 1969 by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Chernykh at t ...

and the Trojan asteroid 2207 Antenor. Chernykh worked with his wife and colleague

Lyudmila Chernykh Lyudmila Ivanivna Chernykh (; ; June 13, 1935 – July 28, 2017) was a Ukrainian- Russian-Soviet astronomer, wife and colleague of Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh, and a prolific discoverer of minor planets. Professional career Chernykh was bo ...

. The asteroid

2325 Chernykh 2325 Chernykh, provisional designation , is a dark Themistian asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately in diameter. It was discovered on 25 September 1979, by Czech astronomer Antonín Mrkos at the Klet Observatory i ...

discovered in 1979 by Czech astronomer

Antonín Mrkos Antonín Mrkos () (27 January 1918 – 29 May 1996) was a Czech astronomer. Biography Mrkos entered the University in Brno in 1938. His studies were interrupted by the onset of World War II, and in 1945 he became a staff member at the Skalna ...

was named in their honour.

List of discovered minor planets

References

External links

* - An appreciation of the Work of N. S. Chernykh (in Russian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Chernykh, Nikolai Stepanovich 1931 births 2004 deaths People from Usman, Russia Soviet astronomers Discoverers of asteroids Discoverers of comets * Ukrainian astronomers