Renan Arcadio Poveda Ricalde, Mexican astronomer (Merida, Yucatán Province 15 July 1930 – 24 March 2020)

ACHIEVEMENTS

Regarded as founder of infrared stellar cosmogony (1964-7)

Developed Poveda method for calculating the mass of elliptical, spherical and ellipsoidal galaxies (1958)

Discovered a relationship between the mass of a stellar powder-free system and its total luminosity (1961)

Predicted that younger stars are involved in a gaseous and brilliant powder capsule in infrared (1965)

With C. Allen & J. Ruiz showed that perturbations in young collapsing clusters originate runaway stars (1967) 

With L. Woltjer discovered a linear relationship (Sigma-D relationship) between the radio brightness and apparent diameters of supernova remnants and pointed out for the first time the connection between such remnants and some x-ray sources (1968)

With C. Allen showed that multiple trapezoid systems are found in dynamical equilibrium state (1974)

First classified binary and multiple stars in young and old ones

With C. Allen & M. A. Herrera demonstrated that binary stars around sun show the dissociation effect due to gravitational interactions with molecular clouds

With C. Allen & Parrao concluded that all double and multiple stars have at least one physical companion and one third of them have multiple companions (1982)