The article is devoted to the study of the life and work of the outstanding astronomer-theoretician Konstantin Savchenko, who worked in the field of celestial mechanics and dynamic cosmogony in the Kharkiv and Odessa astronomical observatories in the 1930s – 1950s. As a result of historiographic analysis, it was found, that no comprehensive research of the astronomer's scientific biography has been carried out. However, the coverage of certain facts of prof. K. N. Savchenko life were devoted the several small biographical publications. Despite this, the vast majority of aspects the scientist’s life, including his scientific and teaching activities in the Kharkiv period in the 30s of the XX century remains unexplored.

The author applied special methods – historical and biographical, retrospective and methods of source analysis. The source base of the study included the materials of the archives of the Institute of Astronomy V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, the archives of the V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, the archives of the Odesa I. I. Mechnikov State University, the State Archives of Kharkiv region, and the Archives of the Odessa region agency of Security Service of Ukraine. Their use allowed to highlight the main stages of the scientific biography of prof. K. N. Savchenko, analyze his scientific potential. It was established, that the astronomer's scientific work was devoted to the study of the motion and rotation of celestial bodies with variable mass, the exploration of the perturbations of the planets by methods of geometry, the researching of the physical nature of gravity, and the development of cosmogonic theories about the origin of the Solar system. The astronomer's activities on the development of theoretical foundations for substantiating the cosmogonic hypothesis of I. Kant by the methods of celestial mechanics and the calculation and correction of the elements of the orbits of the asteroids of the main belt of the Solar system, in particular: Nanna, Raissa, Sabauda, Julia are analyzed. K. N. Savchenko activity at the Kharkov and Odessa Astronomical Observatories, the scientific and teaching work at the A.M. Gorky Kharkiv State University, the Kherson State Pedagogical Institute and the Odesa I. I. Mechnikov State University are documented, his scientific publications are analyzed. It is assumed that the materials of this historical and biographical study will be further used in the research work on the history of astronomy in Kharkiv in the first half of the XXth century.

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