Aleksander Wolszczan
| Aleksander Wolszczan | |
|---|---|
 Aleksander Wolszczan |
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| Born | 29 April 1946 Szczecinek, Poland |
| Nationality | Polish |
| Fields | Astronomer |
| Alma mater | Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń |
| Known for | Discovery of the first extrasolar planets and pulsar planets |
| Notable awards | Beatrice M. Tinsley Prize |
Aleksander Wolszczan [alɛkˈsandɛr ˈvɔlʂt͡ʂan] (
listen) (born 29 April 1946 in Szczecinek, Poland) is a Polish astronomer. He is the co-discoverer of the first extrasolar planets and pulsar planets.
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Scientific career [edit]
Wolszczan was educated in Poland (MSc in 1969 and received his PhD in 1975 at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń), He moved in 1982 to the U.S. to work at Cornell and Princeton University. Later he became an astronomy professor at Pennsylvania State University, where he currently teaches a life in the universe class at 2:30 to 3:45 in 060 Willard building. From 1994 to 2008 he was also a professor at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. He is a member of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
Working with Dale Frail, Wolszczan carried out astronomical observations from the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico which led them to the discovery of the pulsar PSR B1257+12 in 1990. They showed in 1992 that the pulsar is orbited by two planets. The radii of their orbits are 0.36 and 0.47 AU respectively. This was the first confirmed discovery of planets outside the Solar System (over seven hundred are known today).
In 1996, Wolszczan was awarded the Beatrice M. Tinsley Prize by the American Astronomical Society, and in 2002, he was pictured on a Polish postage stamp.[1]
In 2003 Maciej Konacki and Wolszczan determined the orbital inclinations of the two pulsar planets, showing that the actual masses are approximately 3.9 and 4.3 Earth masses.
In 2008 "Gazeta Prawna" disclosed that in 1973-1988 he was a collaborator of the communist Polish Secret Service, codenamed "Lange", which Wolszczan confirmed. His subsequent resignation was accepted by the rector of Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń.[2][3][4]
See also [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Aleksander Wolszczan |
References [edit]
- Wolszczan, A., and D.A. Frail. A planetary system around the millisecond pulsar PSR 1257+12. Nature 355(6356):145-7, January 9, 1992.
- Wolszczan, A. Confirmation of Earth-mass planets orbiting the millisecond pulsar PSR B1257+12. Science 264(5158):538-42, April 22, 1994.
- Konacki, M. and Wolszczan, A. Masses and Orbital Inclinations of Planets in the PSR B1257+12 System Astrophysical Journal, Volume 591, Issue 2, pp. L147-L150, 2003.
Notes [edit]
- ^ "Wolszczan Featured on Millennium Stamp Set with Pope John Paul, Lech Walesa, and Nicolaus Copernicus". Pennsylvania State University web site. Pennsylvania State University. 2002-02-18. Archived from the original on 2008-02-15. Retrieved 2008-03-06.
- ^ Rektor UMK przyjął rezygnację prof. Wolszczana
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
External links [edit]
- Earth Sized Planets Confirmed
- Planet Orbiting a Giant Red Star Discovered with Hobby-Eberly Telescope
- "Wolszczan Featured on Millennium Stamp Set with Pope John Paul, Lech Walesa, and Nicolaus Copernicus". Pennsylvania State University web site. Pennsylvania State University. 2002-02-18. Archived from the original on 2008-03-06. Retrieved 2008-03-06.
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