Yashnov, Pyotr Ivanovich

In 1895 - 1902 he studied at the Moscow Technical School with a degree in Nutrient Technology ( Brewing ), and then worked as a mathematics teacher at secondary schools in Moscow . In 1904, with the support of the director of the Moscow Observatory V.K. Cerasky, he was admitted to this observatory as an assistant. In 1909 - 1912 he held the position of astronomer at the Pulkovo Observatory , and in 1912 - 1917 - in its department in Nikolaev . In 1917 - 1919 - an astronomer at the Pulkovo Observatory, from 1918 - its vice-director. In 1919 - 1923 he worked as an observer astronomer at the University of Saratov , in 1923 , accepting the proposal of V. G. Fesenkov , he entered the post of head of the Tashkent Observatory . In 1925 - 1936 - employee of the Pulkovo Observatory.

Arrested on November 7, 1936 in connection with the " Pulkovo case ", sentenced on May 25, 1937 to 10 years in prison. He died in prison. Rehabilitated in 1957 .

He worked in the field of astrometry , actively conducted observations. He participated in the creation of the Pulkovo absolute catalogs of right ascents 1905.0, 1915.0, 1930.0 and the Nikolaev catalog 1915.0. He proposed the ideas of a chain method of aligning the system of positions of faint stars, creating an independent system of direct ascents of stars based on a series of observations on a large instrument in Pulkovo, which lasted about 100 years. He compiled a program of observations of 1334 stars up to the 6th magnitude that were not included in the 1915.0 catalog. In the 1930s, observations of these stars were performed at five observatories of the USSR and on their basis N.V. Zimmerman compiled a consolidated catalog of geodetic stars. In 1922, he determined the difference in longitudes Pulkovo - Saratov , one of the first in Russia to use the radio telegraph method for this. He proposed a new method for researching trunnions of a portable passive instrument (“Yashnov method”). One of the organizers and an active participant in the first astrometric conference in Pulkovo ( 1932 ). For several years, he was the head of the library and museum at the Pulkovo Observatory, devoted a lot of time to putting the library in order, in particular, creating a catalog of the manuscript archive of I. Kepler . The author of several articles on the history of astronomy . One of the authors of the textbook "Introduction to Practical Astronomy" ( 1936 ).

• Gorel G.K., Zverev M.S. Pulkovo astronomer P.I. Yashnov // IAI. - 1977. - Vol. Xiii. - S. 117-146.
• Kolchinsky I.G., Korsun A.A., Rodriguez M.G. Astronomers: A Biographical Reference. - 2nd ed., Revised. and additional .. - Kiev: Naukova Dumka, 1986. - 512 p.

• Yashnov Peter Ivanovich
• KGB certificate on the fate of Pulkovo astronomers

• Astronomical Observatory of Saratov State University