Krat, Vladimir Alekseevich

Born July 8 (21), 1911, in the city of Ul’ianovsk. Soviet astronomer. Corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1972). Member of the CPSU since 1963.

Krat graduated from the University of Kazan in 1932. Since 1938 he has been with the Main Astronomical Observatory of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR at Pulkovo, becoming its director in 1966. His studies are on variable stars, cosmogony, and solar physics. He is one of the founders of a new branch of Soviet astronomy, that of balloon astronomy. The first Soviet stratospheric observatory was built under his direction. Krat has been awarded three orders and various medals.