Adriaan Blaauw | |
|---|---|
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| Born | (1914-04-12)12 April 1914 |
| Died | 1 December 2010(2010-12-01) (aged 96) Groningen, Netherlands |
| Alma mater | Leiden University University of Groningen |
| Known for | Star formation |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy |
| Institutions | Kapteyn Astronomical Institute European Southern Observatory Leiden University |
Adriaan Blaauw (12 April 1914 – 1 December 2010) was a Dutchastronomer.
Blaauw was born inAmsterdam to Cornelis Blaauw and Gesina Clasina Zwart,[1] and studied atLeiden University and theUniversity of Groningen, obtaining his doctorate at the latter in 1946. In 1948, he was appointed an associate professor at Leiden. In the 1950s he worked a few years at theYerkes Observatory, before returning to Europe in 1957 to become director of theKapteyn Astronomical Institute in Groningen.[2] Blaauw was closely involved in the founding of theEuropean Southern Observatory, and was its general director from 1970 to 1975.[2] In 1975, hereturned to theNetherlands, becoming a full professor at Leiden, until his retirement in 1981. From 1976 to 1979, he served as president of theInternational Astronomical Union.[2] He chaired the committee for assigning scientific priorities for the observing programme of the astrometric satelliteHipparcos. His research has involvedstar formation, the motions ofstar clusters andstellar associations, anddistance scale. His main contributions are the explanation of the origin of stars that move with high velocity in our galaxy and the description of star formation in associations.[2]
Among his many honours he was made member of theRoyal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1963,[3] elected a Foreign Honorary Member of theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1973.[4] In 1989, he was awarded theBruce Medal.[5] In 1997, theUniversity of Groningen instituted a Blaauw chair and Blaauw lecture in his honour.[6] Theasteroid2145 Blaauw and the Blaauw Observatory are named after him. He died in 2010 in the city ofGroningen.
Asteroid2145 Blaauw is named for him.
