Origins & Early Life

Zhang Yuzhe (Chinese: 张钰哲; 16 February 1902 – 21 July 1986), also known as Yu-Che Chang, was a Chinese astronomer and director of the Purple Mountain Observatory who is widely regarded as the father of modern Chinese astronomy. He studied the light curves of asteroids, and thus their rotation periods. He also researched the variable star CZ Cassiopeiae and the evolution of the orbit of Comet Halley. Zhang discovered three comets and is credited under the name Y.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

C. Chang by the Minor Planet Center for the discovery of one minor planet, the outer main-belt asteroid 3789 Zhongguo. Zhang was born in Fuzhou in Minhou county, Fujian province in 1902. In 1919, he gained entrance to Tsinghua University. Graduating in 1923, he traveled to the United States where he began graduate studies at the University of Chicago in 1925, receiving his Ph.D.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

in 1929. Later that year, he returned to China and accepted a teaching post at the National Central University in Nanjing, China (now known as Nanjing University). He was the first astronomy professor at National Central University. Zhang wrote his thesis on the orientation of the orbital plane of double stars under the mentorship of...

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