Yoshihide Kozai (1 April 1928 – 5 February 2018) was a Japanese astronomer specialising in

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 ...

. He is best known for discovering, simultaneously with Michael Lidov, the Kozai mechanism, for which he received the Imperial Prize of the Japan Academy in 1979.Japan Academy
61st-70th
retrieved 2011-08-15 From 1988 to 1991, he was the president 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 ...

. In 1989, he received the

Brouwer Award The Brouwer Award is awarded annually by the Division on Dynamical Astronomy of the American Astronomical Society for outstanding lifetime achievement in the field of dynamical astronomy. The prize is named for Dirk Brouwer. Recipients Source ...

of the

American Astronomical Society The American Astronomical Society (AAS, sometimes spoken as "double-A-S") is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC. The primary objective of the AAS is to promote the adv ...

. In 2009, he won the Decoration of Cultural Merit from the

Japanese government The Government of Japan consists of legislative, executive and judiciary branches and is based on popular sovereignty. The Government runs under the framework established by the Constitution of Japan, adopted in 1947. It is a unitary state, c ...

. He died on 5 February 2018 due to liver failure. The asteroid

3040 Kozai 3040 Kozai, provisional designation , is a stony asteroid and Mars-crosser on a tilted orbit from the innermost regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 4 kilometers in diameters. The asteroid was discovered by American astronomer William Lill ...

is named in his honour.

References

External links

Oral history interview with Yoshihide Kozai on 2 September 1997, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives
- interview conducted at the

Tokyo Institute of Technology is a national research university located in Greater Tokyo Area, Japan. Tokyo Tech is the largest institution for higher education in Japan dedicated to science and technology, one of first five Designated National University and selected as ...

1928 births 2018 deaths 20th-century Japanese astronomers Deaths from liver failure People from Tokyo Presidents of the International Astronomical Union {{Japan-astronomer-stub