Nicholas E. Wagman (1905–1980) was an American

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

and astrometrist. Beginning in 1930, Wagman was associated with

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

's Allegheny Observatory. He was director of the Observatory and also chairman of the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

's Astronomy Department from 1941 until 1970. Under his direction, the 0.76-m Thaw refractor was renovated and used to set the standard for

parallax Parallax is a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different lines of sight and is measured by the angle or semi-angle of inclination between those two lines. Due to foreshortening, nearby objects ...

determinations, of which over 1200 were made. Many binary stars were also discovered and characterized.

Named after him

* The Nicholas E. Wagman Observatory of the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh in suburban

Frazer Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Frazer Township is a township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,164 at the 2020 census. The Pittsburgh Mills shopping mall complex is located in the township. Organized in 1914, Frazer Township was named for R ...

. * Asteroid 3110 Wagman

References

External links

Nicholas E. Wagman Observatory web site

Video of the Thaw telescope
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wagman, Nicholas E. 1905 births 1980 deaths American astronomers University of Pittsburgh faculty Scientists from Pittsburgh