Exactly 130 years ago, on March 30, 1894, a prominent Ukrainian astronomer, Nikolai Barabashov, was born in Kharkiv. For many years, he explored the Moon, Mars, and other planets in the solar system and initiated the creation of the Kharkiv Planetarium.
1. Who is Nikolai Barabashov?
Nikolai Pavlovich Barabashov was a Ukrainian scientist born and lived most of his life in Kharkiv. The son of a medical teacher, he became interested in astronomy at an early age and published educational articles about the starry sky as a schoolboy.
Later, despite the World War and the Russian-Ukrainian war, he managed to become a professional astronomer and make several important discoveries. Barabashov became the head of the Kharkiv Observatory and then the astronomy department at Kharkiv University. During the Second World War, he even had to act as rector of this educational institution, but he was later forced to resign.
2. How did Barabashov find out what the surface of the Moon looks like?
Nikolai Barabashov conducted his first important scientific research when he was still a student at Kharkiv University. He decided to find out how much light our planet reflects into space. The phenomenon known as the “Da Vinci glow” helped him solve this problem.
It is that when the Moon is in the thin crescent phase, the rest of it is visible as a “ghost”. Scientists already knew that this depends on the light reflected from our planet. So, Barabashov carefully measured the brightness of this radiation and was able to correctly estimate how bright our planet is when viewed from space.
This research had an important continuation. At the beginning of the 20th century, scientists continued to argue about what the surface of our satellite was. And it was Barabashov who was the first in the world to establish that although it consists of porous rocks, it is dense enough for a person to stand on it.
3. What did Barabashov learn about Mars?
In the 1930s, Barabashov and his students began studying Mars. Only 25 years before, humanity still believed that canals on this planet were a reality, and even in Barabashov’s time, there were still doubts that this planet was completely devoid of life. The scientist used a method known as photometry to study it. For a long time, he observed how the reflection of light from different parts of the planet changed.
Photometry allowed Barabashov to make two important discoveries. First, observations of the polar caps showed that they are two-component and partly consist of water ice, which remains in place permanently, and partly of frozen carbon dioxide, which evaporates in the summer.
Secondly, the Kharkiv astronomer managed to see a seasonal change in the brightness of dark areas on Mars and suggested that extremely powerful dust storms might be behind it. Both assumptions were later confirmed.
4. What did Barabashov do for the development of astronomy in Kharkiv?
Barabashov was engaged not only in celestial but also in quite earthly matters. In particular, he devoted his entire life to popularizing science. He explained to everyone in clear language what was happening in the sky. In 1957, it was thanks to Barabashov’s efforts that a planetarium was opened in Kharkiv.
Barabashov was also an organizer of Kharkiv science. In the 1960s, he managed to organize the construction of the Chuhuiv Observatory, located near the highway connecting Kharkiv with Izyum. An AZT-8 telescope with a mirror diameter of 70 cm and a chromospheric-photospheric telescope were installed here. Later, other instruments appeared. Unfortunately, in 2022, the observatory was under Russian occupation for several months and was severely damaged.
5. Why was the market named after Barabashov?
For the majority of the Ukrainian population, the name Barabashov is still associated with the giant clothing market in Kharkiv. Some even believe that this is a certain area that has been called “Barabashovo” since ancient times. And so, we can assume that the scientist’s surname comes from it.
But in reality, it’s the other way around. One of the subway stations was named after Nikolai Barabashov, and it gave its name to the market that is located next to it.
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