Belarusians Contributing to the World Science and Technology Development (Gavriil Tikhov)

Astronomer, Astrophysicist, Astrobotanist. Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Academician of the Kazakhstan Academy of Sciences, Honorary Member of the American Astronomical Society, Honorary Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Professor. Honoured Scientist of the Kazakh SSR. Known for the construction of a number of astronomical devices.

G. Tikhov was born on April 19, 1875 in Smolevichi. He graduated from the Mathematical Sciences Department of the Physics and Mathematics Faculty of Moscow University, and then pursued his studies at the University of Sorbonne and worked as a trainee in the Meudon Observatory headed by P.J.C. Janssen. After returning to Moscow, he received a master's degree and taught mathematics.

In the first year of the University G. Tikhov began to visit an astronomical tower, and on vacation after the first year he built a small observatory in Smolevichi, where he installed an astronomical spyglass. In the third year his flair for astrophysics became quite obvious; he was particularly interested in studying binary stars.

His main scientific works are devoted to photometry and colorimetry of stars and planets, atmospheric optics. He suggested two methods of detecting the dispersion of light in the interstellar medium – by the difference in phases of the curves of radial velocities of binary stars measured by spectral absorption lines, and by the difference in phases of the curves of light shielding stars obtained by observations in different parts of the spectrum. He detected the phase retardation of eclipsing stars in the shortwave part of the spectrum (the Tikhov-Nordman effect).

G. Tikhov was among the first to widely use the method of light filters in astronomy. He made the first photos of Mars in various spectrum parts and found the difference in the size and brightness of its polar caps in different fields of the spectrum; he discovered the existence of a blue haze in the atmosphere of this planet. He also carried out colorimetric studies of Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

G. Tikhov suggested the design of the device to register and reproduce the twinkling of stars, discovered an anomalous dispersion of light in the atmosphere, and developed an original device (“Sapphire Cyanometer”) to study the colour of the daytime sky.

For the first time, he stated that the solar crown consists of two parts: the structureless “matte” crown and penetrating jets of the “radiant” crown. He then evaluated the colour temperature of the crown.

In total, G. Tikhov is the author of more than 230 scientific publications.

He was awarded the Wilde Prize of the Paris Academy of Sciences, awards of the Russian Astronomical Society, the medal of the French Astronomical Society, Orders of Lenin, and Labour Red Banner.

Sourced from the database of the Republican Library on Science and Technology.