Arcadio Poveda

Renán Arcadio Poveda Ricalde (15 July 1930 – 24 March 2022^[4]) was a Mexican prominent astronomer who developed a method to calculate the mass of elliptical galaxies.^[1] He received Mexico's National Prize for Arts and Sciences in 1975, chaired its National Astronomical Observatory from 1968 to 1980 and was elected to The National College in 1989.^[2]

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Poveda and the second or maternal family name is Ricalde.

Arcadio Poveda
Poveda in 2014
Born	15 July 1930 Mérida, Yucatán, México[1]
Died	24 March 2022 (aged 91) Mexico City, Mexico
Nationality	Mexican
Alma mater	University of California, Berkeley[2]
Known for	Poveda's formula[3]
Awards	National Prize for Arts and Science (Mexico, 1975)
Scientific career
Fields	Astronomy
Institutions	National Autonomous University of Mexico

Poveda was born in Mérida, Yucatán. He initially enrolled at the National Autonomous University of Mexico but ended up graduating with both a Bachelor of Arts degree (1953) and a PhD in Astronomy (1956) from the University of California, Berkeley.^[2] Afterward, he moved back to Mexico and enrolled at the Institute of Astronomy of the National Autonomous University, where he has worked as a researcher since 1956. As a visiting scholar, he has lectured at the Institute of Astrophysics in France (CNRS, 1963), Columbia University (1967), Kitt Peak National Observatory (1981–82, 1983–84), and at the University of California, San Diego (1982–83).^[2]

A public planetarium in his native Mérida, is named in his honor.^[5]

References

1. El Colegio Nacional. "Miembros: Poveda Ricalde, Arcadio" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 8 June 2008.
2. Poveda, Arcadio. "Curriculum vitae" (PDF) (in Spanish). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2008.
3. Binney, James (1982). "Dynamics of Elliptical Galaxies and Other Spheroidal Components". Annual Reviews. Retrieved 10 June 2008.
4. Fallece a los 91 años el astrónomo mexicano Arcadio Poveda Ricalde (in Spanish)
5. Municipality of Mérida. "Planetario Arcadio Poveda" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 6 June 2008. Retrieved 10 June 2008.