Hajibey Farajulla oglu Sultanov ( az, Hacıbəy Fərəculla oğlu Sultanov, 20 September 1921 – 5 March 2008) was an

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

i astronomer and former head of the Shamakhy Astrophysical Observatory. Sultanov's main works tackle

celestial mechanics Celestial mechanics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the motions of objects in outer space. Historically, celestial mechanics applies principles of physics (classical mechanics) to astronomical objects, such as stars and planets, to ...

and the genesis of 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 "Solar S ...

, as well as the origin, structure and evolution of the asteroid belt and minor planets. Sultanov was a member of the

International Astronomical Union The International Astronomical Union (IAU; french: link=yes, Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is a nongovernmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreac ...

and European Astronomical Society.

Early life

Sultanov graduated from the faculty of physics and mathematics at the Baku State University in 1942, and fought on the Eastern Front of World War II. For his military service Sultanov was awarded the

Order of the Patriotic War The Order of the Patriotic War (russian: Орден Отечественной войны, Orden Otechestvennoy voiny) is a Soviet military decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisan ...

, and medals For Courage, For the Defence of the Caucasus, For the Liberation of Prague and For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945.

Academia

Having demobilized from the military in 1946, Sultanov began his scientific work in the Baku State University and completed postgraduate studies. Sultanov initially worked in the Institute of Physics and Mathematics of the Academy of Sciences of the Azerbaijan SSR. From 1953 Sultanov managed the planning and construction of the telescope at the Shamakhi Astrophysical Observatory. In 1953, he became the head of the newly established Astrophysics Department at that academy. In 1976–81, Sultanov was the Vice-President of the Academy of Sciences of the Azerbaijan SSR. Sultanov was also the head of the Shamakhi Astrophysical Observatory. Sultanov developed the hypothesis that a ring of minor planets formed as a result of successive disintegrations of few larger primary bodies that emerged at the beginning of the evolution of protoplanetary material. In 2004, Sultanov was awarded Shohrat Order for the advancement of Azerbaijani science. Sultanov died during a fire in the administrative building of the Shamakhi Observatory in Baku on March 5, 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sultanov, Hajibey 1921 births 2008 deaths Accidental deaths in Azerbaijan Azerbaijani astronomers Deaths from fire Baku State University alumni Soviet military personnel of World War II from Azerbaijan Recipients of the Medal "For Courage" (Russia) Recipients of the Shohrat Order Soviet astronomers