Bart Bok
Encyclopedia
Bart Jan Bok was a Dutch
-American
astronomer
.
He was born in the Netherlands
, but spent a good deal of his childhood days growing up in what was then known as the Dutch East Indies
. He was educated at the Leiden and Groningen
Universities
. In 1929 he married fellow astronomer
Dr. Priscilla Fairfield Bok
, and for the remainder of their lives the two collaborated closely on their astronomical work. They had two children, Joyce and John.
From 1929 until 1957 he worked at Harvard University
. He then worked as director of Mount Stromlo Observatory
in Australia
for nine years, before returning to the United States
as director of Steward Observatory
. He became a US citizen in 1938.
In 1975 Bok coauthored the statement Objections to Astrology (The Humanist, 1975), which was endorsed by 186 professional astronomers, astrophysicists, and other scientists, including nineteen winners of the Nobel Prize
. The statement was published in The Humanist
. This led to the formation of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal
, of which he was a founding Fellow.
Bart Bok was an exceedingly popular personality in the field of astronomy, noted for his affability and humor. The Asteroid
1983 Bok
was named for him while he was still living. In the ceremony announcing the award, he thanked the IAU for giving him "a little plot of land that [I] can retire to and live on." He participated in or led several groups to view solar eclipse
s, including a trip to the eclipse near Bratsk
in Siberia
in July 1981. On this trip to the USSR he led the group on a side trip to Byurakan Observatory
, meeting with the director, Victor Ambartsumian.
His last eclipse trip was to return to what he called his "spiritual home" of Java
to view a totality that passed near the town of Salatiga
in June 1983. The night before the eclipse he spoke of his deep and abiding affection for the Indonesian people and said "If you wish to know Indonesia, eat Indonesian food and listen to gamelan
music." He also spoke of how much he had enjoyed sharing his love of astronomy with others over the years.
Bok died of a heart attack
at his home in Tucson, Arizona a little more than a month after that final trip. His only regret was that he did not have great-grandchildren at the time of his death.
Named after him
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
.
He was born in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, but spent a good deal of his childhood days growing up in what was then known as the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
. He was educated at the Leiden and Groningen
University of Groningen
The University of Groningen , located in the city of Groningen, was founded in 1614. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands as well as one of its largest. Since its inception more than 100,000 students have graduated...
Universities
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
. In 1929 he married fellow astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
Dr. Priscilla Fairfield Bok
Priscilla Fairfield Bok
Priscilla Fairfield Bok was an American astronomer and the wife of Dutch-born astronomer Bart Bok, whom she married in 1929. The two worked together over much of the twentieth century. They mapped the spiral arms of the Milky Way Galaxy and studied the make-up and changes of star clusters...
, and for the remainder of their lives the two collaborated closely on their astronomical work. They had two children, Joyce and John.
From 1929 until 1957 he worked at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He then worked as director of Mount Stromlo Observatory
Mount Stromlo Observatory
Mount Stromlo Observatory located just outside of Canberra, Australia, is part of the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Australian National University .-History:...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
for nine years, before returning to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as director of Steward Observatory
Steward Observatory
The University of Arizona's Steward Observatorys main office is located on the University's campus and is closely tied to the Department of Astronomy. Established in 1916 by its first director, Andrew Ellicott Douglass, and a $60,000 bequest made by Lavinia Steward in memory of her late husband...
. He became a US citizen in 1938.
In 1975 Bok coauthored the statement Objections to Astrology (The Humanist, 1975), which was endorsed by 186 professional astronomers, astrophysicists, and other scientists, including nineteen winners of the Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
. The statement was published in The Humanist
American Humanist Association
The American Humanist Association is an educational organization in the United States that advances Humanism. "Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism and other supernatural beliefs, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that...
. This led to the formation of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal
Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal
The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry , formerly known as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal , is a program within the U.S...
, of which he was a founding Fellow.
Bart Bok was an exceedingly popular personality in the field of astronomy, noted for his affability and humor. The Asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
1983 Bok
1983 Bok
1983 Bok is an asteroid discovered June 9, 1975 by Elizabeth Roemer. It is named for astronomer Bart Jan Bok.See also: List of asteroids...
was named for him while he was still living. In the ceremony announcing the award, he thanked the IAU for giving him "a little plot of land that [I] can retire to and live on." He participated in or led several groups to view solar eclipse
Solar eclipse
As seen from the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun as viewed from a location on Earth. This can happen only during a new moon, when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth. At least...
s, including a trip to the eclipse near Bratsk
Bratsk
Bratsk is a city in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Angara River near the vast Bratsk Reservoir. Population: Although the name sounds like the Russian word for 'brother' , it actually comes from 'bratskiye lyudi', an old name for the Buryats.-History:The first Europeans in the area arrived...
in Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
in July 1981. On this trip to the USSR he led the group on a side trip to Byurakan Observatory
Byurakan Observatory
The Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory, or Byurakan Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the Armenian Academy of Sciences. It is located on the slope of Mount Aragats in the village of Byurakan in Armenia.-History:...
, meeting with the director, Victor Ambartsumian.
His last eclipse trip was to return to what he called his "spiritual home" of Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
to view a totality that passed near the town of Salatiga
Salatiga
Salatiga is a city in Central Java, Indonesia, located between the cities of Semarang and Surakarta. It sits at the foot of Mount Merbabu and Mount Telomoyo, and has a relatively cool climate due to its elevated position.-Origin of name:...
in June 1983. The night before the eclipse he spoke of his deep and abiding affection for the Indonesian people and said "If you wish to know Indonesia, eat Indonesian food and listen to gamelan
Gamelan
A gamelan is a musical ensemble from Indonesia, typically from the islands of Bali or Java, featuring a variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, drums and gongs; bamboo flutes, bowed and plucked strings. Vocalists may also be included....
music." He also spoke of how much he had enjoyed sharing his love of astronomy with others over the years.
Bok died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
at his home in Tucson, Arizona a little more than a month after that final trip. His only regret was that he did not have great-grandchildren at the time of his death.
Honors
Awards- Bruce MedalBruce MedalThe Catherine Wolfe Bruce Gold Medal is awarded every year by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific for outstanding lifetime contributions to astronomy. It is named after Catherine Wolfe Bruce, an American patroness of astronomy, and was first awarded in 1898...
(1977) - Henry Norris Russell LectureshipHenry Norris Russell LectureshipThe Henry Norris Russell Lectureship is awarded each year by the American Astronomical Society in recognition of a lifetime of excellence in astronomical research.-Previous lecturers:This list of lecturers is from the American Astronomical Society's website....
(1982) - Klumpke-Roberts AwardKlumpke-Roberts AwardThe Klumpke-Roberts Award was established from a bequest by astronomer Dorothea Klumpke-Roberts and recognizes outstanding contributions to the public understanding and appreciation of astronomy...
(1982)
Named after him
- Lunar crater BokBok (lunar crater)Bok is a lunar crater that is located on the far side of the Moon. To the southeast is the crater Sniadecki; to the north is McKellar, and further to the west is De Vries....
(with his wife) - AsteroidAsteroidAsteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
1983 Bok1983 Bok1983 Bok is an asteroid discovered June 9, 1975 by Elizabeth Roemer. It is named for astronomer Bart Jan Bok.See also: List of asteroids...
(with his wife) - Bok globuleBok globuleBok globules are dark clouds of dense cosmic dust and gas in which star formation sometimes takes place. Bok globules are found within H II regions, and typically have a mass of about 2 to 50 solar masses contained within a region about a light year or so across...
s - Bok TelescopeBok TelescopeThe Bok Telescope is the largest telescope operated solely by Steward Observatory. It finds much use from astronomers from University of Arizona, Arizona State University, and Northern Arizona University, with instruments capable of both imaging and spectroscopy...
- Bart J Bok Postdoctoral Fellowship, given out by the Astronomy Department of the University of ArizonaUniversity of ArizonaThe University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
and Steward Observatory.