Khromov, Gavriil Sergeevich

Khromov G.S. Born July 12, 1937 in Moscow, on Bolshaya Pirogovskaya street (near the Novodevichy Convent ). His ancestors are from Russian peasants: on the paternal side - from Bronnitsky district , on the maternal side - from Grachev district of Tambov province . Parents received high school education and graduated from Moscow University . Subsequently, both became scientists and teachers: mother, Lidia Ivanovna Mamontova - candidate of biological sciences, associate professor; father, Sergey Petrovich Khromov [1] - doctor of geographical sciences, professor since the mid-1930s, creator of the Russian school of synoptic meteorology , professor at Moscow University , one of the organizers of the USSR Weather Bureau (now the Hydrometeorological Center of the Russian Federation) . The ship ”Professor Khromov” was named after his father [2] . In 1959 G.S. Khromov graduated from the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Moscow State University with a degree in astronomy and was hired by the P.K.Sternberg State Astronomical Institute at Moscow State University . In 1962 he entered the graduate school of the Physics Department of Moscow State University . In 1965 he defended his thesis on the study of planetary nebulae, under the direction of B.A. Vorontsov-Veliaminov , a famous Soviet astronomer, corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences , author of the famous textbook on astronomy [3] for secondary schools, according to which generations of Soviet schoolchildren have studied for decades. Outstanding scientist, specialist in extragalactic astronomy B.A. Vorontsov-Veliaminov was also a great popularizer of astronomy.

Then G.S. Khromov was admitted to the International Astronomical Union , where he worked at the Commission on the Physics of Nebulae and the Interstellar Medium . After working for three years (1965-1968) as the scientific secretary of the SAI, in 1968 Gavriil Sergeyevich became a senior research fellow at the department, headed by D.Ya. Martynov , and continued theoretical and observational studies of planetary nebulae . G.S. Khromov performed one of the world's first photometric surveys of planetary nebulae in the near infrared region of the spectrum, constructing a special modulation photometer for this. In 1972, he took the post of deputy chairman of the Astronomical Council of the USSR Academy of Sciences and the next few years devoted mainly to coordination work in science. Returning in 1979 to the SAI, G.S. Khromov completed his doctoral dissertation “Planetary Nebulae (Physics and Evolution)”. A few years later, her results came out in the form of a monograph [4] . This was the first of its kind attempt to generalize and expound a huge and varied array of factual data and theoretical ideas about planetary nebulae and their central stars. In 1987, Khromov went to work at the Ukrainian academic “Institute of New Physical Applied Problems of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR” [5] , where he headed the department of coordinate-time support and was the deputy director for science. Since 1998, he worked as the head of the astronomy department at the All-Union Institute of Scientific and Technical Information , and in 2003 transferred to the Institute of Problems of the Development of Sciences under the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences [6] (inaccessible link) . Of his numerous publications, he himself put in the first place a two-volume monograph “The Scientific and Technical Potential of Russia” [7] , written during the years of work at this institute ^[1] .

When the series of books “Library of the Astronomy Lover” was founded (1979) [8] , G.S. Khromov became chairman of its editorial board. In the period 1979-1993. 12 books were published.

For 60 years, Khromov worked actively at VAGO – AGO, having gone from a member of the Youth Section to the President.

Gavriil Sergeyevich translated from English into Russian (in whole or in part) or edited about a dozen books. Among them there is even a science fiction novel by F. Hoyle and J. Elliot “Andromeda” (1966), which is part of the popular series “Foreign Fantasy” [9] of the Mir publishing house . The preface to the book under the heading “Instead of the Preface” was written by I.S. Shklovsky , drawing readers' attention to the fact that “one of its authors, Fred Hoyle , is a world-famous astrophysicist-theoretician , the author of many outstanding works in various fields of this fascinating science. Especially great is the merit of a member of the Royal Society, Professor Hoyle, in the field of cosmogony - the science of the origin and development of planets, stars, galaxies. ”

During the years of work at VINITI G.S. Khromov published the book “Science that we lose” (1995) [10] , where he analyzed the past and current state of our science. “We are losing a powerful fundamental science, enormous in volume and, possibly, leading the world in the qualifications and intellectual level of our employees” [11] . Commentary on the book was given by Yu.I. Mukhin , a famous Russian public figure: “G.S. Khromov wrote a very sensible book, The Science We Lose. He wrote it very accurately and truthfully. ”

Drawing attention to the need to thank his Teachers, who are almost every one of us in life, he wrote an article “Remembering the Long-Passed ...” [12] about his first steps in astronomy: “my interest in astronomy was embodied in the burning need for a telescope "which, according to my ideas of the time, was to immediately open to my eyes a new, albeit constantly present somewhere very close by." Here, with warmth, he recalls his teachers German Gerasimovich Lengauer, Claudia Tikhonovna Stoyanova and others. And, as he writes, "... they never again taught me the basics of astronomical culture, the possession of which, in fact, should distinguish a professional astronomer from all other people who inhabit the earthly world."

The sports side of Gavriil Sergeyevich's life included downhill skiing, athletics, sailing, and fencing. In fencing, he was part of the MSU team, had the title of master of sports.

On March 5, 2015, in honor of Gavriil Sergeyevich Khromov, a small planet discovered on October 29, 2009 by T. V. Kryachko in the village of Zelenchukskaya was given the name “372578 Khromov” .

• Hoyle F., Eliot J. Andromeda. Series: Foreign Science Fiction. - Moscow: Mir, 1966.
• Weekes Trevor C., Khromov G.S., Kurt V.G. High energy astrophysics. - Moscow: World, 1972.
• Whitney Charles Allen, Gurov P.S., Khromov G.S. Discovery of our Galaxy. - Moscow: World, 1975.
• Khromov G.S. Planetary nebula. Series: Cosmonautics, Astronomy. - Moscow: Knowledge, 1975.
• Khromov G.S. Radiation receivers in ground-based astronomy. Results of science and technology, Ser. Astronomy. - Moscow: VINITI, 1982.
• Khromov G.S. Planetary nebulae: physics, evolution, cosmogony .. - Moscow: Nauka, 1985.
• Morrison William. Feast of the demons. - Moscow: World, 1991.
• Khromov G.S. The science we lose. - Moscow: Cosmosinform, 1995. ( ISBN 5-900242-13-7 )
• Public Sector Science Management. Foreign experience. Abbreviation. set out. preparation. G.S. Khromov. - Moscow: CISN, 2004. ( ISBN 5-7602-0157-3 )
• Mindeli L.E., Khromov G.S. The state and evolution of scientific and technical systems in industrialized countries. - Moscow: IPRAN RAS, 2008. ( ISBN 978-5-91294-014-9 )
• Mindeli L.E., Khromov G.S. Scientific and technical potential of Russia: in 2 hours Part 1. - Moscow: IPRAN RAS, 2011. ( ISBN 978-5-91294-045-3 )
• Mindeli L.E., Khromov G.S. Scientific and technical potential of Russia: in 2 hours Part 2. - Moscow: IPRAN RAS, 2012. ( ISBN 978-5-91294-049-1 )
• Mindeli L.E., Khromov G.S. Scientific and technical systems of industrialized countries at the beginning of the global economic crisis: 2007-2009. - Moscow: IPRAN RAS, 2012. ( ISBN 978-5-91294-052-1 )

• Shamaev V.G. Khromov Gavriil Sergeevich // Earth and the Universe: journal. - 2015. - No. 3. P. 56-61
• Shamaev V.G. “That's all ...” Gavriil Sergeyevich Khromov in my memory
• G.S. Khromov on the website of the State Astronomical Institute named after PC. Sternberg Moscow State University