Kaare Aksnes
Encyclopedia
Kaare Aksnes is a professor
at the Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics at the University of Oslo
.
. His parents were farmers. In 1959 he married teacher Liv Kristin Marøy.
his secondary education in 1956, and graduated with the cand.real. degree in 1963, having studied in both Bergen
and Oslo
. From 1964 to 1965 he was a research assistant at Harestua
. He then worked in the United States for several years, and took the Ph.D.
at Yale University
in 1969. His doctor's thesis is today a standard work within estimating the course of planet
s, moons
, meteor
s, comet
s and artificial sounds. His work is among other things used by NASA
's Voyager
sounds to Jupiter
, and he received the NASA Group Achievement Award for his work.
After several years at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
he returned from the United States to Norway in 1978, where he was employed at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment
from 1978 to 1988. He was also an assisting professor at the University of Tromsø
from 1980. In 1988 he was appointed as a professor at the University of Oslo. Since 1993 he is also responsible for the official Norwegian almanac
.
He is a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
since 1991. Since 1990 he presides over the International Astronomical Union
Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature, which maintains the astronomical naming conventions
and planetary nomenclature
for planetary bodies. Already in 1978, the asteroid 2067 Aksnes
was named after Aksnes. On 5 December 2006 he received the HM The King's Medal of Merit
in gold for his scientific achievements through a long scientific career within astronomy.
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at the Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics at the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
.
Personal life
He was born in Kvam, Hordaland as a brother of the chemist Gunnar AksnesGunnar Aksnes
Gunnar Aksnes was a Norwegian chemist.He was born in Kvam, Hordaland, a brother of the astronomer Kaare Aksnes. He took the dr.philos. degree in 1962, and from 1966 to 1993 he was a professor of organic chemistry at the University of Bergen.-References:...
. His parents were farmers. In 1959 he married teacher Liv Kristin Marøy.
Career
He finishedExamen artium
Examen artium was the name of the academic certification conferred in Denmark and Norway, qualifying the student for admission to university studies. Examen artium was originally introduced as the entrance exam of the University of Copenhagen in 1630...
his secondary education in 1956, and graduated with the cand.real. degree in 1963, having studied in both Bergen
University of Bergen
The University of Bergen is located in Bergen, Norway. Although founded as late as 1946, academic activity had taken place at Bergen Museum as far back as 1825. The university today serves more than 14,500 students...
and Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
. From 1964 to 1965 he was a research assistant at Harestua
Harestua Solar Observatory
Harestua Solar Observatory is a solar observatory near Harestua in the municipality of Lunner, Oppland, Norway.It was used for solar research purposes from 1954 to 1986, and was subordinated the University of Oslo. From 1987 it was used for public courses, eventually run by astronomer Knut Jørgen...
. He then worked in the United States for several years, and took the Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1969. His doctor's thesis is today a standard work within estimating the course of planet
Planet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
s, moons
Natural satellite
A natural satellite or moon is a celestial body that orbits a planet or smaller body, which is called its primary. The two terms are used synonymously for non-artificial satellites of planets, of dwarf planets, and of minor planets....
, meteor
METEOR
METEOR is a metric for the evaluation of machine translation output. The metric is based on the harmonic mean of unigram precision and recall, with recall weighted higher than precision...
s, comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
s and artificial sounds. His work is among other things used by NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
's Voyager
Voyager program
The Voyager program is a U.S program that launched two unmanned space missions, scientific probes Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. They were launched in 1977 to take advantage of a favorable planetary alignment of the late 1970s...
sounds to Jupiter
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...
, and he received the NASA Group Achievement Award for his work.
After several years at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
The Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics is one of the largest and most diverse astrophysical institutions in the world, where scientists carry out a broad program of research in astronomy, astrophysics, earth and space sciences, and science education...
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
he returned from the United States to Norway in 1978, where he was employed at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment
Norwegian Defence Research Establishment
The Norwegian Defence Research Establishment is a research institute that conducts research and development on behalf of the Norwegian Armed Forces and provides expert advice to political and military defence leaders...
from 1978 to 1988. He was also an assisting professor at the University of Tromsø
University of Tromsø
The University of Tromsø is the world's northernmost university. Located in the city of Tromsø, Norway, it was established in 1968, and opened in 1972. It is one of eight universities in Norway. The University of Tromsø is the largest research and educational institution in northern Norway...
from 1980. In 1988 he was appointed as a professor at the University of Oslo. Since 1993 he is also responsible for the official Norwegian almanac
Almanac
An almanac is an annual publication that includes information such as weather forecasts, farmers' planting dates, and tide tables, containing tabular information in a particular field or fields often arranged according to the calendar etc...
.
He is a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway.-History:The University of Oslo was established in 1811. The idea of a learned society in Christiania surfaced for the first time in 1841. The city of Throndhjem had no university, but had a learned...
since 1991. Since 1990 he presides over the International Astronomical Union
International Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union IAU is a collection of professional astronomers, at the Ph.D. level and beyond, active in professional research and education in astronomy...
Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature, which maintains the astronomical naming conventions
Astronomical naming conventions
In ancient times, only the Sun and Moon, a few hundred stars and the most easily visible planets had names. Over the last few hundred years, the number of identified astronomical objects has risen from hundreds to over a billion, and more are discovered every year...
and planetary nomenclature
Planetary nomenclature
Planetary nomenclature, like terrestrial nomenclature, is a system of uniquely identifying features on the surface of a planet or natural satellite so that the features can be easily located, described, and discussed. The task of assigning official names to features is taken up by the International...
for planetary bodies. Already in 1978, the asteroid 2067 Aksnes
2067 Aksnes
2067 Aksnes is an outer main belt asteroid discovered on February 23, 1936 by Yrjö Väisälä at Turku.- External links :*...
was named after Aksnes. On 5 December 2006 he received the HM The King's Medal of Merit
HM The King's Medal of Merit
The King's Medal of Merit is a Norwegian award. It was instituted in 1908 to reward meritorious achievements in the fields of art, science, business and public service. It is divided in two classes: gold and silver. The medal in gold is rewarded for extraordinary achievements of importance to the...
in gold for his scientific achievements through a long scientific career within astronomy.