Pelageya Shajn facts for kids

Pelageya Fedorovna Shajn (born Sannikova) was a famous Russian astronomer in the Soviet Union. She lived from 1894 to 1956. She made history as the first woman to discover a minor planet. This happened in 1928 at the Simeiz Observatory. Pelageya also found many variable stars and helped discover a comet called 61P/Shajn–Schaldach. She was married to another well-known astronomer, Grigory Shajn.

About Pelageya Shajn

Pelageya Shajn was born in 1894. Her family were farmers in a village called Ostanin, in what is now Russia. She later married Grigory Shajn, who was also an astronomer at the Simeiz Observatory.

In 1928, Pelageya made a big discovery: the asteroid 1112 Polonia. This was a very important moment because it was the first time a woman had discovered a minor planet.

She passed away on August 27, 1956, not long after her husband had died earlier that same month.

Awards and Special Mentions

To honor her work, an asteroid was named after Pelageya. It's called 1190 Pelagia and was discovered in 1930 by another astronomer, Grigory Neujmin.

Another asteroid, 1648 Shajna, was named to remember both Pelageya and her husband. There's also a crater on the Moon called Shayn, but that one was named only after her husband.

What Pelageya Discovered

Pelageya Shajn's discoveries are officially listed under the name P. F. Shajn. Sometimes her last name is spelled differently, like "Schajn" or "Shain".

She discovered 19 minor planets and about 140 variable stars. A variable star is a star that changes how bright it looks from Earth.

In 1949, she also helped find a periodic comet called 61P/Shajn–Schaldach. A periodic comet is a comet that regularly orbits the Sun and returns to be seen from Earth. However, a different comet, C/1925 F1, was discovered by her husband, not by her.

List of Minor Planets She Found

Here are some of the minor planets Pelageya Shajn discovered:

See also

In Spanish: Pelagueya Shain para niños