Fyodor Aleksandrovich Bredikhin (Фёдор Александрович Бредихин) (December 8, 1831 – May 14, 1904 (O.S.: May 1)) was a Russian astronomer. His surname is sometimes given as Bredichin in the literature, and non-Russian sources sometimes render his first name as Theodor.

In 1857 he joined the staff of the observatory at Moscow University, becoming its director in 1865 (another source says 1873). In 1890 he became director of Pulkovo Observatory (until 1894) and in the same year became a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

He studied the theory of comet tails, and also studied meteors and meteor showers.

Two of his monographs on this subject are: O khvos-takh komet (On the Tail of Comets, 1862); and Vozmuschchenia komet, mezavisyashcie ob planetnykh prityazheny (Comet Perturbations Which are not Caused by Attractions by the Planets; doctoral dissertation, 1863). He died in St. Petersburg .

Bredikhin crater on the Moon is named after him.

Links

Obituaries

AN 165 (1904) 351/352 (in German)

MNRAS 65 (1905) 348