Vytautas Straižys

Vytautas Straižys (born August 20, 1936)^[1] is a Lithuanian astronomer. In 1963-1965 he and his collaborators created and developed the Vilnius photometric system - a seven color intermediate band system, optimized for photometric stellar classification. In 1996 he was elected a Corresponding Member of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences.^[1] Straižys is an editor of the journal Baltic Astronomy. He is currently working at the Molėtai Astronomical Observatory. Asteroid 68730 Straizys in 2002 was named after him.

Education and professional history

In 1959 - graduated from the Vilnius University in astrophysics. In 1959-1962 graduate student of the Institute of Physics and Mathematics of Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. In 1962-1967 scientific researcher in the same institute. In 1967-1990 head of the Astrophysical Department of the Institute of Physics, Vilnius. In 1990-2003 head of the Astronomical Observatory of the Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astronomy, Vilnius. In 1991-1996 Associate Director of the same Institute. Since 2003 - Chief researcher of the same institute, Vilnius University. In 1992-1993 academic year: visiting professor in Union College, Schenectady, New York.

Scientific activity

Main directions of the scientific research: multicolor photometry of stars, stellar physical parameters, stellar classification, interstellar extinction, interstellar clouds, star clusters, Galactic structure. One of the authors of the Vilnius photometric system for the classification of stars. In 1969-1990 conducted the construction of the Moletai Observatory in Lithuania and its Maidanak station in Uzbekistan. Author of 324 scientific papers published in 1957-2009 and of three monographs: "Multicolor Stellar Photometry" (Vilnius, 1977, in Russian), "Metal-Deficient Stars" (Vilnius, 1982, in Russian) and "Multicolor Stellar Photometry" (Tucson, Arizona, 1992 and 1995, revised version, in English). In 1977-1991 editor of the "Bulletin of the Vilnius Astronomical Observatory", since 1992 editor of an international journal "Baltic Astronomy". Scientific adviser of 22 doctoral dissertations.

Membership

• International Astronomical Union (IAU, 1967)
• Institute for Space Observations, New York (1988)
• European Astronomical Society (EAS, 1990)
• American Astronomical Society (AAS, 1991)
• Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP, 1991)
• American Planetary Society (1991)
• Astronomical Society of New York (1992)
• Lithuanian Astronomical Union (president 1995-2003)
• In 1979-1985 Vice-President and President of the IAU Commission "Stellar Classification"
• In 1991-1995 Expert Member of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, since 1996 - Corresponding Member of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences

Honours

Awards

• Lithuanian Republic Science Award (1973)
• Nomination as a distinguished scientist of Lithuania (1986)
• Chretien Grant of the American Astronomical Society (2000)
• Award of the Gediminas order Officer's Cross (2003)
• Lithuanian National Science Award (2004)

Named after him

• Asteroid 68730 Straizys

Publications

1. V. Straizys, Multicolor Stellar Photometry (in Russian), Mokslas Publishers, Vilnius, Lithuania, 1977
2. V. Straizys, Metal-Deficient Stars (in Russian), Mokslas Publishers, Vilnius, Lithuania, 1982
3. V. Straizys, Multicolor Stellar Photometry (in English), Pachart Publishing House, Tucson, Arizona, 1992 (2nd publication in 1995)
4. V. Straizys, The Milky Way (in Lithuanian), Mokslas Publishers, 1992
5. V. Straizys, Astronomy, 1993 (a textbook for secondary schools, in Lithuanian)
6. A. Azusienis, A. Pucinskas, V. Straizys, Astronomy, 1995 (a textbook for universities, in Lithuanian, 2nd revised publication in 2003)
7. V. Straizys, Astronomical Encyclopedic Dictionary (in Lithuanian), Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astronomy, 2002 (2nd publication in 2003)

References