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Revision as of 00:16, 19 September 2008 by Stan J Klimas (talk | contribs) (more on the alaged collaboration with the Polish secret service)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)| Aleksander Wolszczan | |
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 Aleksander Wolszczan at Piwnice radio observatory | |
| Born | April 29, 1946 Szczecinek, Poland |
| Nationality | Polish |
| Alma mater | Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń |
| Known for | Discovery of the first extrasolar planets and pulsar planets |
| Awards | Beatrice M. Tinsley Prize |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomer |
Aleksander Wolszczan (IPA: [alɛk'sandɛr 'vɔlʂt͡ʂan], Audio file "Pl-aleksander-wolszczan.ogg" not found) (Apr 29 1946 in Szczecinek, Poland) is a Polish astronomer. He was the discoverer of the first extrasolar planets and pulsar planets.
Biography
Educated in Poland (at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń), Wolszczan moved in 1982 to the U.S. to work at Cornell University in Ithaca and Princeton University. Later he became an astronomy professor at the Pennsylvania State University. Concurrent with that appointment, since 1994 he has been a professor at the University in Toruń and a member of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN).
Working with Dale Frail, he carried out astronomical observations from the Arecibo Observatory which led them to the discovery of the pulsar PSR B1257+12 in 1990. The data analysis gathered thanks to the discovery showed that the pulsar is orbited by two planets with masses at least 3.4 and 2.8 times that of Earth's mass. Their orbits are 0.36 and 0.47 AU respectively. This planetary system was the first extra-solar system discovered in the Universe whose existence was proved.
Wolszczan and Frail published their findings in 1992 and 1994. In spite of initial misgivings of some experts, today this discovery is regarded as fully substantiated.
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.
In 2003 Konacki and Wolszczan determined the orbital inclinations of the two planets, showing that the actual masses are approximately 3.9 and 4.3 Earth masses.
Between 1973 and 1988 prof. Wolszczan apparently cooperated with PRL communist secret police (SB) and was given a pseudonym "Lange" . However, the partially preserved documentation appears to indicate that Woloszczan was conveying to the SB little, and even that was largely rumors, e.g, on the personal animosities between Polish employees of the Torun and Bonn universities. He was certainly not involved in any high-caliper espionage. The issue appears to be mostly of moral nature.
References
- 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.
- Maciej Marosz "Gazeta Polska", 17.09.2008
See also
External links
- Earth Sized Planets Confirmed
- Planet Orbiting a Giant Red Star Discovered with Hobby-Eberly Telescope