Jaan Einasto

Born on 23 February 1929 in Tartu, Estonia, astrophysicist Jaan Einasto is a pioneer in the branch of astronomy known as near-field cosmology and one of the discoverers of the large-scale structure of the universe. His surname is an anagram of “Estonia,” chosen by his father in the 1930s to replace the family’s German name. Einasto studied physics and mathematics at the University of Tartu, earning his PhD in 1955 and a senior research doctorate in 1972. Besides working at the Tartu Observatory, he also served as head of its cosmology department (1992–97) and as head of the astronomy and physics division of the Estonian Academy of Sciences (1983–95). He has published more than 190 scientific papers on such subjects as dark matter, the dynamics of galaxies, and the structure and evolution of the universe. Because of his groundbreaking contributions, Einasto received Estonia’s national science award four times: in 1982, 1998, 2003, and 2007. He also received the Marcel Grossmann Award in 2009 and the Viktor Ambartsumian International Prize in 2012. Throughout much of his career, however, Einasto was hampered by Estonia’s political situation as a small Soviet satellite country. In his 2013 book Dark Matter and Cosmic Web Story, Einasto discusses not only the development of cosmology in Estonia but also the obstacles Estonian scientists faced, including limited financial resources and contact with their Western counterparts. That isolation prompted Einasto to organize a series of conferences in the 1970s to bring Western astronomers to Estonia. (Photo credit: AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, John Irwin Slide Collection)

Date in History: 23 February 1929