Iosif Samuilovich Shklovsky | |
|---|---|
 Shklovsky in 1980 | |
| Born | 1 July 1916 (1916-07) |
| Died | 3 March 1985(1985-03-03) (aged 68) |
| Alma mater | Moscow State University |
| Awards | Lenin Prize Bruce Medal |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astrophysics Radio Astronomy Search for extraterrestrial intelligence |
| Institutions | Russian Space Research Institute Moscow State University Sternberg Astronomical Institute |
| Notable students | Solomon Borisovich Pikelner Nikolai Kardashev |
Iosif Samuilovich Shklovsky (sometimes transliteratedJosif, Josif, Shklovskii, Shklovskij;Russian:Ио́сиф Самуи́лович Шкло́вский; 1 July 1916 – 3 March 1985) was a Sovietastronomer andastrophysicist. He is remembered for his work in theoreticalastrophysics and other topics, as well as for his 1962 book onextraterrestrial life, the revised and expanded version of which was co-authored by American astronomerCarl Sagan in 1966 asIntelligent Life in the Universe.
He won theLenin Prize in 1960 and theBruce Medal in 1972.Asteroid2849 Shklovskij and the craterShklovsky (on theMartian moonPhobos) are named in his honor. He was aCorresponding Member ofSoviet Academy of Sciences since 1966.
Shklovsky was born inHlukhiv, a city in theUkrainian part of theRussian Empire, into a poorUkrainian Jewish family. After graduating from the seven-year secondary school, he worked as aforeman on buildingBaikal Amur Mainline. In 1933 Shklovsky entered the Physico-Mathematical Faculty of theMoscow State University.
There he studied until 1938, when he took a Postgraduate Course at the Astrophysics Department of theSternberg State Astronomical Institute and remained working in the Institute until the end of his life. He died in Moscow, aged 68.
He specialized in theoreticalastrophysics andradio astronomy, as well as theSun'scorona,supernovae, andcosmic rays and their origins. He showed, in 1946, that the radio-wave radiation from the Sun emanates from the ionized layers of its corona, and he developed a mathematical method for discriminating between thermal and nonthermal radio waves in theMilky Way. He is noted especially for his suggestion that the radiation from theCrab Nebula is due tosynchrotron radiation, in which unusually energetic electrons twist through magnetic fields at speeds close to that of light. Shklovsky proposed that cosmic rays from supernova explosions within 300 light years of the sun could have been responsible for some of the mass extinctions of life on earth.
In 1959, Shklovsky examined the orbital motion ofMars's inner satellitePhobos. He concluded that itsorbit was decaying, and noted that if this decay was attributed to friction with the Martian atmosphere, then the satellite must have an exceptionally low density. In this context, he voiced a suggestion that Phobos might be hollow, and possibly of artificial origin. This interpretation has since been refuted by more detailed study, but the apparent suggestion ofextraterrestrial involvement caught the public imagination, though there is some disagreement as to how seriously Shklovsky intended the idea to be taken. However, Shklovsky andCarl Sagan[1] argued for serious consideration of "paleocontact" with extraterrestrials in the early historical era, and for examination of myths and religious lore for evidence of such contact.
His 1962 book, Вселенная, жизнь, разум (Universe, Life, Intelligence), was expanded upon and re-issued in 1966 with American astronomerCarl Sagan as co-author under the titleIntelligent Life in the Universe (1966). This was the first comprehensive discussion of this field. Discussing the biological as well as astronomical issues of the subject, its unique format, alternating paragraphs written by Shklovsky and Sagan, demonstrated the deep mutual regard between the two and allowed them to express their views without compromise.
In 1967, before the discovery ofpulsars, Shklovsky examined the X-ray and optical observations ofScorpius X-1 and correctly concluded that the radiation comes from anaccretingneutron star.[2]
In the September 1965 issue ofSoviet Life,[3] he made the following statement regarding prospects for the future of humanity:
His memoir,Five Billion Vodka Bottles to the Moon: Tales of a Soviet Scientist, was published posthumously in 1991 by W.W. Norton & Co.
In "Five Billion Vodka Bottles to the Moon", Shklovsky recalled his visit toPhilip Morrison, who in 1959 had co-authored withCornell University colleagueGiuseppe Cocconi the paper in Nature magazine which marks the beginning of the modern search for extraterrestrial life, and their discussion of such issues. Bitter overSoviet anti-semitism, of the five pioneer investigators of the field, Cocconi, Morrison,Cornell University'sFrank Drake (of the 1961Project Ozma and theDrake equation), Sagan, and Shklovsky, Shklovsky was quite aware of sharing his Jewish identity with Sagan. Indeed, Sagan's Jewish heritage was alsoUkrainian Jewish.
He was known for his sharp wit and extreme likability. Colleagues in the astronomy department at theUniversity of California, Berkeley, remember fondly his visit there in the 1970s. Well known for hisIntelligent Life in the Universe, he was asked by a graduate student if UFO sightings are as common in the Soviet Union as in the United States. "No," he replied. "In this area the Americans are far more advanced than us."
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)| Programs | |
|---|---|
| Messages | |
| People | |
| Other | |
