Herman Zanstra (November 3, 1894, Schoterland – October 2, 1972, Haarlem) was a Dutch astronomer.
Zanstra was born near Heerenveen in Friesland. In 1917 he graduated with an Engineer's degree in chemical engineering from the Delft Institute of Technology. While working in Delft for four years, the last two as a high school teacher, he wrote a highly theoretical and mathematical paper on relative motion which he sent to William Francis Gray Swann. Swann, then offered him to earn a Ph.D. degree in theoretical physics with him at the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis, which he did in two years time by expanding on his paper . After another year with Swann, now in Chicago, and a year at various labs in the Netherlands and Germany and two months at Niels Bohr's lab in Copenhagen, he became a postdoc at Caltech. Here he wrote a famous paper, An Application of the Quantum Theory to the Luminosity of Diffuse Nebulae, which for the first time provided a quantitative method (the "Zanstra method") for understanding the luminosity of nebulas and comets.
After teaching briefly at the University of Washington he went to London and eventually to the University of Amsterdam. World War II left him stranded in South Africa, and he therefore took up a teaching position in Durban, but returned to Europe after the war. In 1949 he became member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.He won the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1961.
The lunar crater Zanstra is named after him, as is Asteroid 2945 Zanstra.
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Some of their strengths
Herman Zanstra has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Loyal, Passionate, Intuitive, Kind, Imaginative, Truthful, and Sympathetic.
Intense and Passionate
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Herman Zanstra is someone who is an intense, passionate, and intuitive person who is fiercely independent, authentic and direct when engaging with others. A person who sees life as a journey not a destination.
Helpful and Supportive
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Herman Zanstra well know them as someone who can be accepting, supportive, and productive, like a garden.
Truthful and Kind
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Herman Zanstra as someone who is honest, compassionate, imaginative, and instinctual.
A person who enjoys new challlenges, is a magnet for attracting other creative types, good at identifying opportunities, and who is good at forming loyal, lifelong friendships.
Courageous and Strong
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Herman Zanstra is someone who is a risk-taker and a pioneer who only gets stronger through the hardships that are encountered in life.
They are also someone who is calm, comforting, and stable, and who loves stability and being a good friend and loyal partner.
Mysterious and Methodical
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Herman Zanstra tends to be someone who can come across as mysterious and intense, who can be a complex thinker who is methodical and intuitive, and who can overcome challenges that most others would not be able to.
Some of Herman Zanstra's challenges
While Herman Zanstra has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, Herman Zanstra can be Stubborn, Indecisive, Unrealistic, Complicated, Brusque, Suspicious, and Temperamental.
Complicated and Brusque
One of Herman Zanstra's key challenges is that they are someone who can be complicated and gruff with others.
Unrealistic and Indecisive
Herman Zanstra is someone who can be unrealistic, indecisive, and lacking in confidence, who can be impulsive when it comes to making important decisions, have difficulty collaborating with others, can be argumentative and not willling to accept criticism, and who can be disappointed by the high expectations they place on others.
Sensitive and Aggressive
Finally, Herman Zanstra also can be too "touchy-feely", have a hard time expressing feelings, be too aggressive and headstrong, and be too unforgiving of others' mistakes.
