Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

Ernst Öpik (born October 23, 1893, Port-Kunda, Estonia, Russian Empire [now Kunda, Estonia]—died September 10, 1985, Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland) was an Estonian astronomer who was best known for his studies of meteors and meteorites and whose life work was devoted to understanding the structure and evolution of the cosmos. In 1916 Öpik received his degree in astronomy from Moscow University. In 1919 he joined the staff of the Tashkent Observatory (now in Uzbekistan)...