astronomy

Heikki Oja

Heikki Oja is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Heikki Oja rather than just read about it. In short: Heikki Oja (born 20 May 1945 in Helsinki, Finland) is a Finnish docent of astronomy, Doctor of Philosophy and the former director of the almanac office of the University of Helsinki. Scientific career Oja served as the director of the almanac office of the University of Helsinki from 1994 to 2012 having previously served as a representative of the almanac office since the late 1970s.

Key takeaways

Heikki Oja belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Heikki Oja to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Heikki Oja from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Heikki Oja (born 20 May 1945 in Helsinki, Finland) is a Finnish docent of astronomy, Doctor of Philosophy and the former director of the almanac office of the University of Helsinki.

Scientific career Oja served as the director of the almanac office of the University of Helsinki from 1994 to 2012 having previously served as a representative of the almanac office since the late 1970s. He was one of the people who initiated the project for the Heureka science centre. Oja has written dozens of informative books accessible for the general public and has appeared on the radio explaining about astronomy and space research. He has been awarded the rank of professor.

Organisational activity Heikki Oja has had a great influence in the development of the Finnish astronomy association Ursa since the 1970s. He has written or edited dozens of Ursa's books either by himself or among others. He was the editorial secretary of the Ursa publication Tähdet ja avaruus for about fifteen years.

Personal life Heikki Oja lives in Tammela, Finland. His father was the historical researcher and professor Aulis Oja.

Awards and recognitions J. V. Snellman prize 1985 Warelius prize of the Association of Finnish Scientific Writers 2003 Finnish State Prize for information publishing 2000, 2014

Bibliography This list is only a small selection of the works written or edited by Heikki Oja.

Keskinen, Raimo & Oja, Heikki: Mustaa aukkoa etsimässä. Publications of Ursa 8. Helsinki: Astronomical association Ursa, 1977 (4th edition 1981). ISBN 951-9269-04-5. Jännes, Antti & Oja, Heikki: 1982 kun planeetat kohtaavat. Contains 2 parts: Heikki Oja: Planeetat kohtaavat; Antti Jännes: 'Planeetat ja kohtalomme. Publications of Ursa 10. Helsinki: Astronomical association Ursa, 1978. ISBN 951-9269-06-1. Oja, Heikki & Vilhu, Osmi (ed.): Albert Einstein: Tutkija ja ihminen. Publications of Ursa 11. Helsinki: Astronomical association Ursa, 1979. ISBN 951-9269-07-X. Mattila, Kalevi & Oja, Heikki (ed.): Uusia ikkunoita maailmankaikkeuteen. Publications of Ursa 20. Helsinki: Astronomical association Ursa, 1983. ISBN 951-9269-21-5. Kyröläinen, Arja & Oja, Heikki (ed.): Tähtitaivaan arvoituksia. Publications of Ursa 23. Helsinki: Astronomical association Ursa, 1984. ISBN 951-9269-24-X. Valtonen, Mauri & Oja, Heikki (ed.): Maapallo ja avaruus. Publications of Ursa 25. Helsinki: Astronomical association Ursa, 1984. ISBN 951-9269-27-4. Ideasta kirjahyllyyn eli Miten voin julkaista ja myydä yleistajuisen tiedekirjan tämän päivän Suomessa – ja säilyä hengissä. Helsinki: Association of scientific societies, 1987. ISBN 951-47-0409-6. Tähtien taakse. Helsinki: WSOY, 1987. ISBN 951-0-14680-3. Kakkuri, Juha & Oja, Heikki & Anttila, Reino: Auringonpimennykset. Publications of Ursa 40. Helsinki: Ursa, 1989. ISBN 951-9269-51-7. Oja, Heikki: Avaruuden tähtitarha. Helsinki: WSOY, 1993 (3rdf edition 1998). ISBN 951-0-19033-0. (ed.): Seti: Vieraan älyn etsintä. Based on the publications of the Seti seminar held in 1993. Publications of Ursa 52. Helsinki: Astronomical association Ursa, 1994. ISBN 951-9269-73-8. Aikakirja. Helsinki: Otava, 1999. ISBN 951-1-16334-5. Online edition: Aikakirja 2013 (PDF) (6th edition) Almanac office of the University of Helsinki. Feiring, Sami & Oja, Heikki: Päivien kirja. Helsinki: Otava, 2000. ISBN 951-1-16885-1. Saturnuksen taakse: 1990-luvun löytöretket aurinkokunnassamme. Publications of Ursa 74. Helsinki: Astronomical association Ursa, 2000. ISBN 952-5329-07-0. Jäinen lohikäärme. Portti series of books. Tampere: Science Fiction society of Tampere, 2001. ISBN 952-5211-06-1. Sibeliuksesta Tuonelaan: Aurinkokuntamme kiehtova nimistö. Publications of Ursa 85. Helsinki: Astronomical association Ursa, 2003. ISBN 952-5329-25-9. Oja, Heikki & Palviainen, Asko: Maailmankaikkeus 2005: Tähtitieteen vuosikirja. Helsinki: Astronomical association Ursa, 2004. ISBN 952-5329-36-4. Oja, Heikki & Palviainen, Asko: Maailmankaikkeus 2007: Tähtitieteen vuosikirja. Helsinki: Astronomical association Ursa, 2006. Polaris: Koulun tähtitieto. Publications of Ursa 50. – 7th revised edition. Helsinki: Astronomical association Ursa, 2004. ISBN 978-952-5329-75-9. Aurinkokunta uusiksi. Publications of Ursa 110. Helsinki: Astronomical association Ursa, 2008. ISBN 978-952-5329-72-8. Suomen kansan pyhimyskalenteri. Helsinki: Kirjapaja, 2011. ISBN 978-952-247-189-5.

References

External links Jarno Forssell: Herra Almanakka odottaa isoja uutisia, Tiede 6 February 2009.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Heikki Oja

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Heikki Oja claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Heikki Oja before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Heikki Oja ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Heikki Oja

In research: Heikki Oja appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Heikki Oja in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Heikki Oja is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1945 births, Finnish astronomers, Finnish non-fiction writers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Heikki Oja outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Heikki Oja in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Heikki Oja means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Heikki Oja out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Heikki Oja in simple terms?

Heikki Oja (born 20 May 1945 in Helsinki, Finland) is a Finnish docent of astronomy, Doctor of Philosophy and the former director of the almanac office of the University of Helsinki. Scientific career Oja served as the director of the almanac office of the University of Helsinki from 1994 to 2012 h…

Why does Heikki Oja matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Heikki Oja?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Heikki Oja.