| Ernst Öpik | |
|---|---|
 Ernst Öpik
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| Born | 23
October 1893 Kunda, Lääne-Viru, Estonia |
| Died | 10
September 1985 (aged 91) Bangor ,Northern Ireland,United Kingdom |
| Nationality | Estonian |
| Fields | astronomy |
| Institutions | Armagh Observatory |
| Alma mater | University of Moscow University of Tartu |
| Notable awards | Gold Medal of
the Royal Astronomical Society in 1975 Bruce Medal in 1976 |
Ernst Julius Öpik (23 October 1893 Kunda – 10 September 1985) was a notable Estonian astronomer and astrophysicist, who spent the last part of his career (1948–1981) at the Armagh Observatory in Northern Ireland.
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Öpik went to University of Moscow to specialize in the study of minor bodies, such as asteroids, comets, and meteors. He completed his doctorate at the University of Tartu.
In 1916 Öpik published article in Astrophysical Journal where he estimates the densities of visual binary stars. It is interesting to note that in his sample was ο2 Eridani, a white dwarf star. Öpik determined its density as 25000 times the density of the Sun but concluded that the result is impossible.[1]
In 1922, Ernst Öpik published a paper where he estimated the distance of the Andromeda Galaxy. Using a novel and simple astrophysical method, he determined the distance as 450 kpc. His result was in good accordance with other estimates of these days (100 to 1000 kpc) and were closer to recent estimates (778 kpc) than Hubble's result (275 kpc).[2] His method is still widely used.
In 1922 he correctly predicted the frequency of craters on Mars long before they were detected by space probes. In 1932 he postulated a theory concerning the origins of comets in our solar system. He believed that they originated in a cloud orbiting far beyond the orbit of Pluto. This cloud is now known as the Oort cloud or alternatively the Öpik-Oort Cloud in his honour. He also invented a rocking camera for the study of meteors. In 1951 he published a paper concerning the triple-alpha process, describing the burning of helium-4 into carbon-12 in the cores of red giant stars. However, this achievement is often overlooked because Edwin Salpeter's paper on the same subject had already been published by the time Öpik's paper reached Britain and the United States.[3]
Öpik fled his native country in 1944 because the approaching Red Army raised fear among Estonians. Living as a refugee in Germany, he became Estonian rector of the Baltic University in Exile in the displaced persons camps. In 1948 he was offered a post in Armagh and remained there despite offers of lucrative jobs in America.
He won the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1975 and the Bruce Medal in 1976.
The asteroid 2099 Öpik is named in his honour. His grandson, Lembit Öpik, is currently the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Montgomeryshire. He himself has some astronomical connection in that he is a noted supporter of searching for asteroids that may collide with the Earth.
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