query: employer pieter johannes van rhijn
supports: The University of Groningen (abbreviated as UG abbreviated as "RUG") is a public research university in the city of Groningen in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1614 and is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands as well as one of its largest. Since its inception more than 200,000 students have graduated. It is a member of the distinguished international Coimbra Group of European universities. Asteroids are minor planets, especially those of the inner Solar System. The larger ones have also been called planetoids. These terms have historically been applied to any astronomical object orbiting the Sun that did not show the disc of a planet and was not observed to have the characteristics of an active comet. As minor planets in the outer Solar System were discovered and found to have volatile-based surfaces that resemble those of comets, they were often distinguished from asteroids of the asteroid belt. In this article, the term "asteroid" refers to the minor planets of the inner Solar System including those co-orbital with Jupiter. Pieter Johannes van Rhijn ( March 24 , 1886 -- May 9 , 1960 ) was a Dutch astronomer . Born in Gouda , he studied at Groningen . He served as director at the Sterrenkundig Laboratorium ( Kapteyn Astronomical Institute ) in Groningen and later served for many years as president of the International Astronomical Union ( 1932 - 1958 ) . He died in Groningen . The crater van Rhijn on the Moon is named after him , as is asteroid 2203 van Rhijn . The International Astronomical Union (IAU UAI) is an international association of professional astronomers, at the PhD level and beyond, active in professional research and education in astronomy. Among other activities, it acts as the internationally recognized authority for assigning designations to celestial bodies (stars, planets, asteroids, etc.) and any surface features on them. A star is a luminous sphere of plasma held together by its own gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye from Earth during the night, appearing as a multitude of fixed luminous points in the sky due to their immense distance from Earth. Historically, the most prominent stars were grouped into constellations and asterisms, the brightest of which gained proper names. Astronomers have assembled star catalogues that identify the known stars and provide standardized stellar designations. However, most of the stars in the Universe, including all stars outside our galaxy, the Milky Way, are invisible to the naked eye from Earth. Indeed, most are invisible from Earth even through the most powerful telescopes. The Netherlands  is the main constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a densely populated country located in Western Europe with three island territories in the Caribbean. The European part of the Netherlands borders Germany to the east, Belgium to the south, and the North Sea to the northwest, sharing maritime borders with Belgium, the United Kingdom, and Germany. The largest cities in the Netherlands are Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. Amsterdam is the country's capital, while The Hague holds the Dutch seat of government and parliament. The name "Holland" is used to refer informally to the whole of the country of the Netherlands. The Kapteyn Astronomical Institute is the department of astronomy of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Groningen (Gronings: "Grunnen") is the main municipality as well as the capital city of the eponymous province in the Netherlands. With a population of 201,865 , it is the largest city in the north of the Netherlands. An old city, Groningen was the regional power of the northern Netherlands, a semi-independent city-state and member of the German Hanseatic League. Groningen is a university city: it houses the University of Groningen (about 30,000 students) and the Hanze University of Applied Sciences (about 25,000 students).
candidates: amsterdam capital the sun university of groningen
answer: university of groningen