Viktor Amazaspovich Ambartsumian

Viktor Amazaspovich Ambartsumian (Վիկտոր Համբարձումյան in Armenian, Виктор Амазаспович Амбарцумян in Russian) (September 18 1908 (Julian calendar: September 5) – August 12 1996) was an Armenian-Russian astronomer. His surname is sometimes given as Ambarzumian or Ambarzumyan or Ambarzumjan, and his first name is sometimes given as Victor. His middle name is sometimes given as just Amazasp.

He was born in Tbilisi, Georgia. After graduation in Leningrad he studied with Belopolsky in Pulkovo Observatory from 1928 to 1931.

Longtime president of the Armenian Academy of Sciences, founder and director of the Byurakan Observatory in 1946. He was one of the pioneer of theoretical astrophysics. He worked on the cosmogony of stars and galaxies, stellar dynamics, and gaseous nebulas. In 1947 he discovered stellar associations.

He served for a time as president of the International Astronomical Union.

He won the Bruce Medal in 1960, and also the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in that same year. He won the Lomonosov Gold Medal in 1971.

The asteroid 1905 Ambartsumian is named after him.

He had four children: Ruben, Rafail, Karine, Egine.

External links

• Bruce Medal page
• Awarding of Bruce Medal
• Awarding of RAS gold medal

Obituaries

• BAAS 29 (1997) 1466
• JApA 18 (1997) 1
• JRASC 90 (1996) 351