A documentary film titled “Astronomer – Wilhelmina Iwanowska” tells the story of one of the most important figures in the history of Polish astrophysics. The film was produced by the Polish Astronomical Society and presents the life, scientific achievements, and legacy of Professor Wilhelmina Iwanowska (1905–1999), a pioneer of astrophysics in Poland and a co-founder of the country’s largest astronomical observatory.
Born in Vilnius, Iwanowska initially studied mathematics before being noticed by Professor Władysław Dziewulski, which marked the beginning of her career in astronomy at Stefan Batory University. She later completed postdoctoral research at an astronomical observatory in Sweden. After World War II, in 1945, she moved to Toruń together with other academics from Vilnius and joined the newly established Nicolaus Copernicus University, where she lectured in astrophysics. She became the first woman in Poland to hold a professorship in astronomy.
One of her greatest accomplishments was co-creating the astronomical observatory in Piwnice near Toruń, now the Institute of Astronomy of Nicolaus Copernicus University. It is currently the largest astronomical observatory in Poland and houses both the country’s largest optical telescope, built during her tenure as director, and the largest radio telescope, whose inauguration she attended as its patron. Scientifically, Iwanowska specialized in astrophysics, using photometric and spectroscopic observations, and is particularly known for her research on a new scale of distances in the Universe.
The documentary was filmed at locations closely connected to her career, including the Institute of Astronomy in Piwnice, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Vilnius University, the Saltsjöbaden Observatory in Sweden, and major observatories in the United States such as Palomar and Mount Wilson. The narrative is led by Dr Joanna Piotrowska, a Polish astronomer currently working at the California Institute of Technology, which once offered Iwanowska a position during her research stay in the United States in 1948–1949. Despite this, Iwanowska chose to return to Poland.
The film features testimonies from her former students, doctoral candidates, and collaborators, and is enriched with archival photographs, historical astronomical images, and rare archival video footage showing Professor Iwanowska working with students. The documentary premiered during the holiday season and is available on YouTube. It was directed by Bogumił Radajewski and produced as part of the Year of Wilhelmina Iwanowska 2025, celebrated by the city of Toruń, with funding from the Ministry of Education under the “Discoverers” programme.
You can watch the film on YouTube with the English subtitles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_m2emngW24
The original content was published on the Nauka w Polsce website:
https://naukawpolsce.pl/aktualnosci/news,111103,powstal-film-dokumentalny-o-wilhelminie-iwanowskiej-pionierce-polskiej
