Boris Vasilyevich Numerov (russian: Борис Васильевич Нумеров; January 29, 1891—September 13, 1941) was a Russian astronomer, land-surveyor and

geophysicist Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and physical properties of the Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. The term ''geophysics'' som ...

. Born in

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the ol ...

and graduated from the St. Petersburg University in 1913, he created various astronomic and mineralogical instruments, as well as for various algorithms and methods that bear his name. He was a member of the Academy of Sciences, observer at Pulkovo from 1913–1915, astronomer at the observatory of the

University of Leningrad Saint Petersburg State University (SPBU; russian: Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the G ...

from 1915 to 1925, and director of the Central Observatory of Geophysics (1926–27), and Professor at the University of Leningrad (1924–1937). He was also the founder and director of the ''Institute for Theoretical Astronomy'' in Leningrad. In 1936, Numerov visited Wallace Eckert’s lab to learn how punched card equipment might be applied to "stellar research" in his own lab at St. Petersburg University. In October 1936, he was arrested and then sentenced to 10 years hard labour (this was part of 'the Pulkovo persecutions', when a great many astronomers suffered repressions). Russian Wiki He had been accused of being a spy in the pay of Germany. The basis of this accusation rested on the fact that German astronomers had named an

asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. ...

after him ''(also see

1206 Numerowia 1206 Numerowia, provisional designation , is an asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 15 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany on ...

)''. It is believed that he was executed along with other political prisoners in September 1941 at the Oryol Prison in

Oryol Oryol ( rus, Орёл, p=ɐˈrʲɵl, lit. ''eagle''), also transliterated as Orel or Oriol, is a city and the administrative center of Oryol Oblast situated on the Oka River, approximately south-southwest of Moscow. It is part of the Central Fed ...

, Russia before city's surrender to Nazi Germany. In 1957, his memory was rehabilitated. The lunar crater '' Numerov'' and the minor planet

, discovered by the German astronomer Karl Reinmuth in Heidelberg in 1931, were named in his honour.

References

External links

* Gérard Sookahet, ''La Méthode de Numerov pour Résoudre les Equations Différentielles du 2nd Ordre''
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1891 births 1941 deaths Corresponding Members of the USSR Academy of Sciences Great Purge victims from Russia Russian astronomers Russian inventors Soviet rehabilitations {{Russia-scientist-stub