Top 10 Facts about Adriaan Blaauw

Professor Adriaan Blaauw. Photo by ESO/Hans Hermann Heyer. Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Facts about Adriaan Blaauw

Adriaan Blaauw was a Dutch astronomer who was born in Amsterdam on April 12, 1914 to Cornelis Blaauw and Gesina Clasina Zwart. 

He died in Groningen on December 1, 2010 at the age of 96.

Blaauw studied at Leiden University and the University of Groningen from where in 1946 he obtained his doctorate degree.

After graduation he was appointed as an associate professor at Leiden University in 1948.

Thereafter Blaauw worked with many other organizations such as the Yerkes Observatory, the Leiden Observatory and he also worked at the University of Groningen.

The top 10 facts about Adriaan Blaauw include the following.

1. Adriaan Blaauw Graduated With A Doctorate in 1946

Univerity of Groningen. Photo by Peertloeks. Wikimedia Commons

Blaauw, a Dutch astronomer, was born in 1914 to Cornelis Blaauw and Gesina Clasina Zwart. He studied at Leiden University and at the University of Groningen.

In 1946 he obtained his doctorate degree from the University of Groningen. After graduation, he went into teaching and in 1948 was appointed an associate professor at Leiden University.

2. Blaauw Worked At The Yerkes Observatory In The 1950s

Yerkes Observatory. Photo by Jtakemann. Wikimedia Commons

Blaauw joined Yerkes Observatory in 1950s and worked there for a few years before travelling back to Europe to become a director of the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute.

Located in Williams Bay, Wisconsin in the United States of America, Yerkes Observatory is an astronomical observatory.

 Founded in 1897, Yerkes observatory was initially operated by the University of Chicago Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics.

However in the year 2020 the non-profit Yerkes Future Foundation took over its ownership.

3. Blaauw Was Director Of The Kapteyn Astronomical Institute

Jacobus Cornelius Kapteyn. Photo by Jan Veth. Wikimedia Commons

After working for a few years at the Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, Wisconsin in the United States, Blaauw returned to Europe to become director of the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute.

Kapteyn Astronomical Institute is named after its founder, Jacobus Cornelius Kapteyn, who lived from 1851 to 1922.

Kapteyn Astronomical Institute is the department of astronomy of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.

4. Blaauw Was Involved In The Founding Of The European Southern Observatory

European Southern Observatory. Photo by European Southern Observatory. Wikimedia Commons

Blaauw was the general director of the European Southern Observatory as from 1970 to 1975.

  He was closely involved in the founding of the observatory where he served as the general director for five years.

The European Southern Observatory is an intergovernmental research organization made up of 16 member states.

The observatory is also known as The European Organization for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere

The observatory gives astronomers access to the southern sky through state-of-the-art research facilities.

5. Until His Retirement In 1981 He Was A Full Professor At Leiden University

Blaauw left The European Southern Observatory and returned to the Netherlands in 1975.

Upon his return Blaauw became a full professor at Leiden University and until he retired in 1981 he was a full professor at Leiden University.

Leiden University is one of the most reputed in the Netherlands and Europe and the oldest institution of higher education in the country.

The University was a reward to the city of Leiden for its defense against Spanish attacks during the Eighty Years’ War by William, Prince of Orange as a Protestant university in 1575.

6. Blaauw Served As President Of The International Astronomical Union

Blaauw served as the president of the International Astronomical Union as from 1976 to 1979.

He was the chairman of the committee which assigned scientific priorities for the observing programme of Hipparcos; an astrometric satellite.

The International Astronomical Union is a nongovernmental organization with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects.

Founded in 1919 and based in Paris, France, the International Astronomical Union advances astronomy by promoting astronomical research, outreach and education.

7. Adriaan Blaauw Received Many Honors During His Long Career

Blaauw was made a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1963.

In 1973, he was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 

He was awarded the Bruce Medal and the University of Groningen instituted a Blaauw chair and Blaauw lecture in his honor in 1989 and 1997 respectively.

8. The Asteroid 2145 Blaauw And The Blaauw Observatory Are Named After Blaauw

Blaauw’s research centered on formation of stars, the motion of star clusters, distance scale and stellar associations among other research areas.

His dissertation was a study of the Scorpio-Centaurus Cluster, a large group of young stars moving together through the Galaxy and he was supervised by P.J. van Rhijn.

The Blaauw Observatory is named after Adriaan Blaauw and so was the asteroid 2145 Blaauw.

The asteroid 2145 Blaauw measures approximately 38 kilometers in diameter and is a dark Ursula asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt.

9. Blaauw’s Research And His Works Were Highly Regarded And Cited

Blaauw’s research was centered on the properties of young massive stars and on the groups where they existed.

He demonstrated that the lifetime determined from the motion of the aging groups is consistent with the age determined from the spectra and such groups expand.

Out of the gas clouds between the stars, Blaauw determined that it is possible to specify the place and time of formation of these groups.

Blaauw brought Kapteyn Laboratory back to the forefront of scientific research by renewing the research program and the equipment and strongly increasing the size and range of the staff.

He explained runaway stars as a product of double star systems wherein one component explodes as a supernova and the other is flung out of its orbit at great speed in a seminal paper.

He worked on a highly cited review paper on young stellar groups after that.

He edited a book about the structure of the Milky Way which for many years remained the best source of information on this subject together with Maarten Schmidt.

10. Blaauw Was Made a Knight In The Order Of The Netherlands Lion

Blaauw’s great managerial talents have been called upon by many organizations. 

He was the Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences in Groningen for four years.

He headed many other organizations such as the secretary of the Netherlands Foundation for Radio Astronomy.

Blaauw was made a Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion, and a member of the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences for his contributions to Dutch astronomy and to society