The astronomer - N. N. Donitch

This paper describes a history of friendship and collaboration between the astronomers N. Donitch and A.A. Baikov. Information on other astronomers L.V. Okulitch and E.A. Von der Pahlen, and meteorologists V.H. Dubinskii and Nina Gouma, can also be found. Details on the expeditions aimed at observing the total solar eclipses on 30 August 1905 (organized by the Imperial Academy of Sciences in Sankt-Petersburg) and 19 June 1936 (organized by the Romanian Royal Cultural foundation) are given. The main part represents the first English translation of the paper by Baikov, published earlier in Russian and Romanian, with a new preface, annotations, and comments.