Harold Zirin
Encyclopedia
Harold "Hal" Zirin is a retired American
solar astronomer
.
-Cola Scholarship to Harvard University
at age 16 and received his bachelors degree in 1950. Remaining at Harvard, Zirin received his masters one year later and finished his PhD in Astronomy in 1953.
After Harvard, Harold Zirin moved to Colorado to work at the High Altitude Observatory
. Harold married his wife, Mary Fleming, in 1961 in Colorado. Harold and Mary adopted a son in 1963 and a daughter in 1964 shortly before moving to Pasadena, California to start his professorship with Caltech
.
After retiring from Caltech in 1998, Harold is still living with his wife Mary in the Pasadena area.
In the mid-50s, Zirin moved to Colorado to work at the High Altitude Observatory
.
In 1964, Zirin moved to Pasadena, California to become a professor at the California Institute of Technology
. In 1965, Harold Zirin started researching potential sites for a new solar observatory choosing Big Bear Lake, California. In 1967, construction started on Big Bear Solar Observatory
(BBSO) and observations began in 1969. In 1988, Zirin authored the college text Astrophysics of the Sun. In 1997, control of BBSO was moved from Caltech to the New Jersey Institute of Technology
just prior to Harold Zirin's retirement from Caltech in 1998.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
solar 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...
.
Life
While born in Boston, Harold Zirin was raised in the Bronx, New York and Bridgeport, Connecticut. Harold Zirin received a PepsiPepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
-Cola Scholarship to 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...
at age 16 and received his bachelors degree in 1950. Remaining at Harvard, Zirin received his masters one year later and finished his PhD in Astronomy in 1953.
After Harvard, Harold Zirin moved to Colorado to work at the High Altitude Observatory
High Altitude Observatory
The High Altitude Observatory conducts research and provides support and facilities for the solar-terrestrial research community in the areas of solar and heliospheric physics, and the effects of solar variability on the Earth's magnetosphere, ionosphere, and upper atmosphere.HAO is a laboratory...
. Harold married his wife, Mary Fleming, in 1961 in Colorado. Harold and Mary adopted a son in 1963 and a daughter in 1964 shortly before moving to Pasadena, California to start his professorship with Caltech
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
.
After retiring from Caltech in 1998, Harold is still living with his wife Mary in the Pasadena area.
Work
In 1953, Zirin started work for the RAND Corporation in southern California but failed security clearances due to his father's ties with the Communist Party. Zirin then returned to Harvard for a postdoc research position.In the mid-50s, Zirin moved to Colorado to work at the High Altitude Observatory
High Altitude Observatory
The High Altitude Observatory conducts research and provides support and facilities for the solar-terrestrial research community in the areas of solar and heliospheric physics, and the effects of solar variability on the Earth's magnetosphere, ionosphere, and upper atmosphere.HAO is a laboratory...
.
In 1964, Zirin moved to Pasadena, California to become a professor at the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
. In 1965, Harold Zirin started researching potential sites for a new solar observatory choosing Big Bear Lake, California. In 1967, construction started on Big Bear Solar Observatory
Big Bear Solar Observatory
The Big Bear Solar Observatory is an astronomical telescopic observatory with main interests in studying the physics of the Sun. The instruments and telescopes of the observatory are designed and employed specifically for studying the activities and phenomena of our solar system's star...
(BBSO) and observations began in 1969. In 1988, Zirin authored the college text Astrophysics of the Sun. In 1997, control of BBSO was moved from Caltech to the New Jersey Institute of Technology
New Jersey Institute of Technology
New Jersey Institute of Technology is a public research university in Newark, New Jersey. It is often also referred to as Newark College of Engineering ....
just prior to Harold Zirin's retirement from Caltech in 1998.