Nationality Russian Died 1855 Fields Astronomy | Name Ivan Simonov Role Astronomer | |
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Institution Kazan Federal University Institutions Kazan State University | ||
Ivan Mikhailovich Simonov (1794-1855) was a Russian astronomer and a geodesist.
Biography
He completed his studies and became a professor of physics at Kazan State University in 1816 where he was a close friend of Nikolai Lobachevsky. He was a corresponding member of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences from 1829 and later went on to become the rector of Kazan State University in 1846.
From 1819 to 1821 he took part in and wrote a detailed account of F. F. Bellingshausen and M. P. La-zarev’s expedition around the world, during which the continent of Antarctica was discovered.
Among Simonov’s contributions are his many astronomical observations, the development of methods for such observations, and the design of a reflector. Simonov was among the first in Russia to study terrestrial magnetism. On his initiative two observatories were established in Kazan: an astronomical observatory in 1833 and an observatory for the study of magnetism in 1843. Simonov Island (Tuvana-I-Tholo) in the South Pacific and the northeastern cape of Peter I Island were named in Simonov’s honor.