Tom Gehrels
Tom Gehrels | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | July 11, 2011 Tucson, Arizona, United States | (aged 86)
Nationality | Dutch–American |
Occupation | Astronomer |
Anton M.J. "Tom" Gehrels
Biography
Youth and education
Gehrels was born at Haarlemmermeer, the Netherlands on February 21, 1925. He was born in bible-belt Netherlands, and was forced to attend church regularly, an act he despised. When he was older he rejoiced when he found out his childhood church had been destroyed.[3] During World War II he was, as a teenager, active in the Dutch Resistance.[1] After he escaped to England, he was sent back by parachute as an organizer for Special Operations Executive SOE committing sabotage against the German forces.[1]
After the war, he attended the
Astronomical work
64P/Swift-Gehrels * |
8 February 1973 |
78P/Gehrels 2 | 29 September 1973 |
82P/Gehrels 3 | 27 October 1975 |
* in 1889 by Swift, rediscovered |
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1778 Alfvén | 26 September 1960 |
1864 Daedalus | 24 March 1971 |
1873 Agenor | 25 March 1971 |
1979 Sakharov | 24 September 1960 |
2247 Hiroshima |
24 September 1960 |
also see Discoveries by Tom Gehrels |
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Gehrels pioneered the first
He discovered, jointly with the husband and wife team of
He was Principal Investigator for the Imaging Photopolarimeter experiment on the Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 first flybys of Jupiter and Saturn in the 1970s.
Gehrels initiated the
Gehrels taught an undergraduate course for non-science majors in Tucson in the Fall, and lectured a brief version of that in the Spring at the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad, India. His recent research was on cosmology and evolution of the universe,[4] which was woven in as the guiding thread through these courses. He was the named winner of the 2007 Harold Masursky Award for his outstanding service to planetary science.
Gehrels was requested by the Journal
Tom Gehrels was the husband of Aleida J. Gehrels (née de Stoppelaar) and father of Neil Gehrels, George Gehrels and Jo-Ann Gehrels. He died in Tucson, Arizona. The minor planet 1777 Gehrels was named in his honour.[7] The professional and personal papers of Tom Gehrels are held at the University of Arizona.
Career
- Special airborne services in Europe and Far East, 1944–1948.
- B.Sc. astronomy and physics, Leiden University 1951.
- Ph.D. astronomy and astrophysics, Univ. of Chicago, 1956.
- Professor of Planetary Sciences and Astronomy, Univ. of Arizona, 1961–2011.
Books
- Physical Studies of Minor Planets, edited by Tom Gehrels (1971), NASA SP-267
- Planets Stars and Nebulae Studied With Photopolarimetry, edited by Tom Gehrels (1974) Tucson: ISBN 0-8165-0428-8
- Jupiter: Studies of the Interior, Atmosphere, Magnetosphere, and Satellites, edited by Tom Gehrels and Mildred Shapley Matthews (1976) Tucson: University of Arizona Press ISBN 0-8165-0530-6
- Protostars & Planets: Studies of Star Formation and of the Origin of the Solar System, edited by Tom Gehrels and Mildred Shapley Matthews (1978) Tucson: ISBN 0-8165-0674-4
- Asteroids, edited by Tom Gehrels and Mildred Shapley Matthews (1979), ISBN 0-8165-0695-7
- Saturn, edited by Tom Gehrels and Mildred Shapley Matthews (1984) Tucson: ISBN 0-8165-0829-1
- Asteroids II, edited by Richard P. Binzel, Tom Gehrels, and Mildred Shapely Matthews (1989)Tucson: ISBN 0-8165-1123-3
- Hazards Due to Comets and Asteroids, edited by Tom Gehrels, Mildred Shapley Matthews, and A. M. Schumann (1994) Tucson: ISBN 0-8165-1505-0
- On the Glassy Sea, in Search of a Worldview, Tom Gehrels (2007, originally published in 1988), ISBN 1-4196-8247-4
- Survival Through Evolution: From Multiverse to Modern Society, Tom Gehrels (2007), ISBN 1-4196-7055-7
- "The Chandra Multiverse", in From Big Bang to Galactic Civilizations: A Big History Anthology, Volume 3, The Ways that Big History Works: Cosmos, Life, Society, and our Future, eds. Barry Rodrigue, Leonid Grinin, Andrey Korotayev, Delhi: Primus Books, 2017, pp. 45-70.
See also
References
- ^ a b c The University of Arizona (July 12, 2011). "Astronomer Tom Gehrels, 1925-2011". Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved 2013-06-02.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Radio Netherlands Worldwide (July 13, 2011). "Dutch-American astronomer Tom Gehrels dies". Retrieved 2013-06-02.
- ^ "REMEMBERING TOM GEHRELS (1925-2011)". Sky & Telescope. 12 July 2011.
I shook his bony hand. Suddenly he frowned and looked wounded, recalling the compulsory church visits in the small Dutch village of Halfweg, where he was raised. But then his face brightened again as he said: "Have you been there recently? They've torn it down! It's torn down!"
- ^ a b c New Netherland Institute. "Anton (Tom) Gehrels [1925-2011]". Retrieved 2013-06-02.
- ^ "Minor Planet Discoverers (by number)". Minor Planet Center. 20 August 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
- ^ Of Truth and Consequences, Tom Gehrels (1994). Nature 372, 511-512
- ISBN 978-3-540-29925-7.
External links
- Tom Gehrels - Astronomy Tree
- Gehrels – university page
- Obituary – obituary from University of Arizona
- Memorial – university page