Liisi Oterma facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Liisi Oterma
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| Born | January 6, 1915 |
| Died | April 4, 2001 Turku
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy |
Liisi Oterma was a brilliant Finnish astronomer. She was the first woman in Finland to earn a special university degree called a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in astronomy. This means she was a top expert in studying space, stars, and planets. She made many important discoveries during her life.
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Early Life and Studies
Liisi Oterma was born in Turku, Finland, on January 6, 1915. She loved learning and went to the University of Turku. There, she studied mathematics and astronomy.
Soon, she became an assistant to a famous astronomer named Yrjö Väisälä. Together, they looked for small objects in space called minor planets. Liisi earned her master's degree in 1938.
A Pioneer in Astronomy
From 1941 to 1965, Liisi worked as an observer at the university's observatory. An observer is someone who watches and records what they see in the sky. She continued her studies and earned her Ph.D. in 1955. Her special project for her Ph.D. was about how telescopes work. This made her the very first Finnish woman to get a Ph.D. in astronomy!
In 1959, Liisi became a "docent" of astronomy. This is a special title for a university teacher who is an expert in their field. Later, from 1965 to 1978, she became a professor at the University of Turku. In 1971, she took over from Yrjö Väisälä as the director of the Tuorla Observatory. She also led the astronomy and optics research institute at the university for several years.
Discoveries in Space
Liisi Oterma was amazing at finding new objects in space. She discovered or helped discover several comets. Comets are like giant space snowballs that orbit the Sun. Some of the comets she found include 38P/Stephan-Oterma and 39P/Oterma.
She also discovered many minor planets. These are small objects, often rocky, that orbit the Sun but are not large enough to be called planets. The Minor Planet Center, which tracks these objects, gives her credit for finding 54 minor planets between 1938 and 1953! This puts her very high on the list of people who have discovered the most minor planets.
To honor her great work, a Hildian asteroid was named after her. It is called 1529 Oterma. This asteroid was discovered by her mentor, Yrjö Väisälä, in 1938.
Interests and Personality
Liisi Oterma was also very interested in languages. She could speak many different ones, including German, French, Italian, Spanish, Esperanto, Hungarian, English, and even Arabic. She had originally wanted to study Sanskrit, an ancient language, but it wasn't offered at her university.
People who knew Liisi said she was a quiet and modest person. She didn't like being in the spotlight or having her picture taken. One professor even joked that she was "silent in eleven languages" because she knew so many but preferred to be quiet. Because she avoided cameras, there are only a few pictures of her.
