Zhang Yuzhe
Encyclopedia
Zhang Yuzhe or Yu-che Chang (16 February 1902 – 21 July 1986) was a Chinese astronomer
who is widely regarded as the father of modern Chinese astronomy.
He was born in Minhou, Fujian province
. In 1919, he entered Tsinghua University
and graduated in 1923. That same year he went to the United States
and, in 1925, entered the University of Chicago
and got his Ph.D. in 1929. That same year he returned to China
and took up a teaching post at National Central University
.
While studying in Chicago
in 1928, he discovered an asteroid
, which was given the provisional designation 1928 UF and later the number 1125. He named it "China" or "中華" (Zhōnghuá). However, this asteroid was "lost", that is, it was not observed beyond its initial appearance and a precise orbit could not be calculated (see lost asteroids
). In 1957, the Purple Mountain Observatory
in China discovered a new asteroid, and with his agreement the new object was re-assigned the official designation 1125 China
in place of the lost 1928 UF. However, in 1986, the newly discovered object was confirmed to be a rediscovery of the original 1928 UF, and this object was named 3789 Zhongguo
. Note "中国" (Zhōngguó) is the Mandarin Chinese word for "China", in pinyin
transliteration, and Zhōnghuá is a slightly older word for "China".
From 1941 to 1950, he was head of the astronomy research institute at National Central University
. From 1946 to 1948, he once again went to the United States to study variable star
s. From 1950 to 1984, he was director of Purple Mountain Observatory
, and, from 1955 on, he was a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
.
He devoted himself to observing and calculating the orbits of minor planet
s and comet
s. Many asteroids were discovered at Purple Mountain Observatory, as well as three new comets: two periodic, 60P/Tsuchinshan
(Tsuchinshan 2) and 62P/Tsuchinshan (Tsuchinshan 1), and one non-periodic, C/1977 V1. Tsuchinshan is the Wade-Giles
transliteration corresponding to the pinyin
Zĭjīn Shān, which is Mandarin Chinese for "Purple Mountain".
He studied the light curves of asteroids and thus their rotation, and also studied the variable star
CZ Cassiopeiae, and the evolution of the orbit of Comet Halley
.
Zhang Yuzhe is credited by the Minor Planet Center
for the discovery of 3789 Zhongguo
under the name "Y. C. Chang". The asteroid 2051 Chang
is named after him.
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...
who is widely regarded as the father of modern Chinese astronomy.
| Asteroid Asteroid Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones... s discovered: 1 |
||
|---|---|---|
| 3789 Zhongguo 3789 Zhongguo 3789 Zhongguo is an outer main-belt asteroid discovered on October 25, 1928 by Y. C. Chang at Williams Bay. It is one of very few asteroids located in the 2 : 1 mean motion resonance with Jupiter. When first discovered in 1928, Zhongguo was named 1125 China. However, as it was not seen again, its... |
October 25, 1928 | as "Y. C. Chang" |
| Note: Originally called 1125 China 1125 China 1125 China is a main belt asteroid orbiting the Sun. It makes a revolution around the Sun once every 5 years. It was discovered in Purple Mountain Observatory, Nanking, on October 30, 1957... , but that name was re-assigned |
||
He was born in Minhou, Fujian province
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
. In 1919, he entered Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University , colloquially known in Chinese as Qinghua, is a university in Beijing, China. The school is one of the nine universities of the C9 League. It was established in 1911 under the name "Tsinghua Xuetang" or "Tsinghua College" and was renamed the "Tsinghua School" one year later...
and graduated in 1923. That same year he went to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and, in 1925, entered the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
and got his Ph.D. in 1929. That same year he returned to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and took up a teaching post at National Central University
National Central University
National Central University is a national comprehensive university in Taiwan .National Central University was founded in 1915 and originated in 258 CE at Nanjing, China. After NCU in Nanjing was renamed Nanjing University in 1949, NCU was re-established in Taiwan in 1962...
.
While studying in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1928, he discovered an asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
, which was given the provisional designation 1928 UF and later the number 1125. He named it "China" or "中華" (Zhōnghuá). However, this asteroid was "lost", that is, it was not observed beyond its initial appearance and a precise orbit could not be calculated (see lost asteroids
Lost asteroids
Lost asteroids or lost planets are asteroids that observers lose track of after discovering. Many early lost asteroids were rediscovered in the 1980s and 1990s, but a number of asteroids and other types of small Solar System bodies continue to be lost...
). In 1957, the Purple Mountain Observatory
Purple Mountain Observatory
Purple Mountain Observatory , also known as Zijinshan Astronomical Observatory, is an astronomical observatory located on the Purple Mountain in Nanjing, China.The long time director of the observatory was Zhang Yuzhe Purple Mountain Observatory , also known as Zijinshan Astronomical Observatory,...
in China discovered a new asteroid, and with his agreement the new object was re-assigned the official designation 1125 China
1125 China
1125 China is a main belt asteroid orbiting the Sun. It makes a revolution around the Sun once every 5 years. It was discovered in Purple Mountain Observatory, Nanking, on October 30, 1957...
in place of the lost 1928 UF. However, in 1986, the newly discovered object was confirmed to be a rediscovery of the original 1928 UF, and this object was named 3789 Zhongguo
3789 Zhongguo
3789 Zhongguo is an outer main-belt asteroid discovered on October 25, 1928 by Y. C. Chang at Williams Bay. It is one of very few asteroids located in the 2 : 1 mean motion resonance with Jupiter. When first discovered in 1928, Zhongguo was named 1125 China. However, as it was not seen again, its...
. Note "中国" (Zhōngguó) is the Mandarin Chinese word for "China", in pinyin
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
transliteration, and Zhōnghuá is a slightly older word for "China".
From 1941 to 1950, he was head of the astronomy research institute at National Central University
National Central University
National Central University is a national comprehensive university in Taiwan .National Central University was founded in 1915 and originated in 258 CE at Nanjing, China. After NCU in Nanjing was renamed Nanjing University in 1949, NCU was re-established in Taiwan in 1962...
. From 1946 to 1948, he once again went to the United States to study variable star
Variable star
A star is classified as variable if its apparent magnitude as seen from Earth changes over time, whether the changes are due to variations in the star's actual luminosity, or to variations in the amount of the star's light that is blocked from reaching Earth...
s. From 1950 to 1984, he was director of Purple Mountain Observatory
Purple Mountain Observatory
Purple Mountain Observatory , also known as Zijinshan Astronomical Observatory, is an astronomical observatory located on the Purple Mountain in Nanjing, China.The long time director of the observatory was Zhang Yuzhe Purple Mountain Observatory , also known as Zijinshan Astronomical Observatory,...
, and, from 1955 on, he was a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Chinese Academy of Sciences
The Chinese Academy of Sciences , formerly known as Academia Sinica, is the national academy for the natural sciences of the People's Republic of China. It is an institution of the State Council of China. It is headquartered in Beijing, with institutes all over the People's Republic of China...
.
He devoted himself to observing and calculating the orbits of minor planet
Minor planet
An asteroid group or minor-planet group is a population of minor planets that have a share broadly similar orbits. Members are generally unrelated to each other, unlike in an asteroid family, which often results from the break-up of a single asteroid...
s and comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
s. Many asteroids were discovered at Purple Mountain Observatory, as well as three new comets: two periodic, 60P/Tsuchinshan
60P/Tsuchinshan
60P/Tsuchinshan, also known as Tsuchinshan 2, is a periodic comet in our solar system.- External links :*...
(Tsuchinshan 2) and 62P/Tsuchinshan (Tsuchinshan 1), and one non-periodic, C/1977 V1. Tsuchinshan is the Wade-Giles
Wade-Giles
Wade–Giles , sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a romanization system for the Mandarin Chinese language. It developed from a system produced by Thomas Wade during the mid-19th century , and was given completed form with Herbert Giles' Chinese–English dictionary of 1892.Wade–Giles was the most...
transliteration corresponding to the pinyin
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
Zĭjīn Shān, which is Mandarin Chinese for "Purple Mountain".
He studied the light curves of asteroids and thus their rotation, and also studied the variable star
Variable star
A star is classified as variable if its apparent magnitude as seen from Earth changes over time, whether the changes are due to variations in the star's actual luminosity, or to variations in the amount of the star's light that is blocked from reaching Earth...
CZ Cassiopeiae, and the evolution of the orbit of Comet Halley
Comet Halley
Halley's Comet or Comet Halley is the best-known of the short-period comets, and is visible from Earth every 75 to 76 years. Halley is the only short-period comet that is clearly visible to the naked eye from Earth, and thus the only naked-eye comet that might appear twice in a human lifetime...
.
Zhang Yuzhe is credited by the Minor Planet Center
Minor Planet Center
The Minor Planet Center operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory , which is part of the Center for Astrophysics along with the Harvard College Observatory ....
for the discovery of 3789 Zhongguo
3789 Zhongguo
3789 Zhongguo is an outer main-belt asteroid discovered on October 25, 1928 by Y. C. Chang at Williams Bay. It is one of very few asteroids located in the 2 : 1 mean motion resonance with Jupiter. When first discovered in 1928, Zhongguo was named 1125 China. However, as it was not seen again, its...
under the name "Y. C. Chang". The asteroid 2051 Chang
2051 Chang
2051 Chang is a main-belt asteroid discovered on October 23, 1976 by Harvard College at Agassiz Station.- External links :*...
is named after him.