Feodosy Krasovsky
Encyclopedia
Feodosy Nikolaevich Krasovsky ( – October 1, 1948) was a Russia
n and later Soviet
astronomer
and geodesist. He was born in Galich
. In 1900 he graduated from the Mezhevoy (land surveying) Institute in Moscow
; in 1907 he began working as a lecturer there.
and cartographical
works in the USSR. He worked out the theory and methods of construction of the national geodetical network of the USSR and solved related problems of topography
and gravimetry
works. Krasovsky and another Soviet geodesist, Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Izotov, in 1940 defined dimensions of an ellipsoid which was named the Krasovsky ellipsoid and was later used as a reference ellipsoid
in the USSR and other countries until the 1990s. In 1939 Krasovsky became the Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences.
Krasovsky died in Moscow
in 1948.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n and later Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
and geodesist. He was born in Galich
Galich, Russia
Galich is a town in Kostroma Oblast, Russia, situated on the southern bank of Lake Galichskoye. It is also a minor railroad node of the Trans-Siberian railway. Population: -History:...
. In 1900 he graduated from the Mezhevoy (land surveying) Institute in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
; in 1907 he began working as a lecturer there.
Research work
At the end of 1928 the Central Research Institute of Geodesy, Aerial Surveying and Cartography (TsNIIGAiK) was founded on his initiative; he worked there as a director (1928–1930) and as a deputy director of science (1930–1937). Between 1924 and 1930 Krasovsky headed astronomical, geodeticalGeodesy
Geodesy , also named geodetics, a branch of earth sciences, is the scientific discipline that deals with the measurement and representation of the Earth, including its gravitational field, in a three-dimensional time-varying space. Geodesists also study geodynamical phenomena such as crustal...
and cartographical
Cartography
Cartography is the study and practice of making maps. Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.The fundamental problems of traditional cartography are to:*Set the map's...
works in the USSR. He worked out the theory and methods of construction of the national geodetical network of the USSR and solved related problems of topography
Topography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
and gravimetry
Gravimetry
Gravimetry is the measurement of the strength of a gravitational field. Gravimetry may be used when either the magnitude of gravitational field or the properties of matter responsible for its creation are of interest...
works. Krasovsky and another Soviet geodesist, Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Izotov, in 1940 defined dimensions of an ellipsoid which was named the Krasovsky ellipsoid and was later used as a reference ellipsoid
Reference ellipsoid
In geodesy, a reference ellipsoid is a mathematically-defined surface that approximates the geoid, the truer figure of the Earth, or other planetary body....
in the USSR and other countries until the 1990s. In 1939 Krasovsky became the Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences.
Krasovsky died in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
in 1948.
Awards
- Stalin Prize (1943, 1952 – posthumously)
- Order of the Red BannerOrder of the Red BannerThe Soviet government of Russia established the Order of the Red Banner , a military decoration, on September 16, 1918 during the Russian Civil War...
- Order of LeninOrder of LeninThe Order of Lenin , named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union...