Dmitri Dmitriyevich Maksutov (23.04.1896-12.08.1964) was a Soviet optical physicist and a corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1946). He was born in Odessa. He graduated from the Military Engineering School in St Petersburg (1914). In 1921 — 30 he worked at the University of Odessa, in 1930 —52 he was head of a laboratory at the State Optical Institute (Leningrad), and from 1952 head of a department at the Main Astronomical Observatory of the USSR Academy of Sciences (Pulkovo).
His work was in the field of astronomical optics, in particular of astronomical instrument-making. He developed the compensation method of testing mirrors (proposed in 1924, described in 1932), which was used in making the 2.6-metre mirror of the G. A. Shajn reflector; he improved the shadow method of testing optical surfaces, and he developed the technique and created the instruments for the high-precision testing of optical glass at the initial stage of its working. He invented (1941) meniscus optical systems, which are widely used in telescopes (USSR State Prize, 1946). He worked on the calculation and manufacture of many meniscus telescopes. He calculated mirror-lens objectives for the visible and ultraviolet regions of the spectrum. He developed methods of rapid calculation of meniscus systems. He created the optics for a number of unique astronomical instruments.
USSR State Prizes (1941, 1946).