James B. Kaler
Encyclopedia
James B. Kaler (born December 29, 1938 in Albany, New York
) is an American astronomer
and science writer.
After elementary and high-school education in Albany, Kaler earned his A.B. at the University of Michigan
in 1960. He attended graduate school at the University of Michigan (1960–61), at Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (Germany, 1961–62), and UCLA (1962–64), where he also obtained his Ph.D.
in Astronomy
1964. His thesis advisor was Lawrence H. Aller
.
. In 1964 he was appointed as an assistant professor of Astronomy by the University of Illinois, and promoted to associate professor in 1968 and to a full professor position in 1976 (all at University of Illinois). Since 1995 he is Campus Honors Faculty. In 2003 he retired to become professor emeritus
at the University of Illinois.
He has held Fulbright
and Guggenheim Fellowship
s, and has been awarded medals for his work from the University of Liège
in Belgium and the University of Mexico. He gave the Armand Spitz Lecture to the Great Lakes Planetarium Association and the Margaret Noble Address to the Middle Atlantic Planetarium Society
. In 2003 he received the 2003 Campus Award for Excellence in Public Engagement by the University of Illinois.
Jim Kaler has written for a variety of magazines, and was a consultant for Time-Life Books. He has long appeared on Illinois
television and radio. In addition to two textbooks and three audio courses, he published several books, including
He has served as President of the Board of Directors of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
, and of the Board of the Champaign Urbana Symphony Orchestra
.
Asteroid 1998 JK was named 17853 Kaler in honor of his outreach activities, and in 2008 he received the American Astronomical Society
's Education Prize.
His science WWW-star database "STARS" has scored more than 3.4 million visitors since its release.
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
) is an American 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...
and science writer.
After elementary and high-school education in Albany, Kaler earned his A.B. at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1960. He attended graduate school at the University of Michigan (1960–61), at Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (Germany, 1961–62), and UCLA (1962–64), where he also obtained his 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...
in Astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
1964. His thesis advisor was Lawrence H. Aller
Lawrence H. Aller
Lawrence Hugh Aller was an American astronomer. He was born in Tacoma, Washington. He never finished high school and worked for a time as a gold miner. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 1936 and went to graduate school at Harvard in 1937. There he...
.
Professional career
Kaler started his professional career with appointments as a research and teaching assistant at the University of Michigan from 1958 to summer 1960. In 1961 he worked as an astronomer with the United States Naval ObservatoryUnited States Naval Observatory
The United States Naval Observatory is one of the oldest scientific agencies in the United States, with a primary mission to produce Positioning, Navigation, and Timing for the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Department of Defense...
. In 1964 he was appointed as an assistant professor of Astronomy by the University of Illinois, and promoted to associate professor in 1968 and to a full professor position in 1976 (all at University of Illinois). Since 1995 he is Campus Honors Faculty. In 2003 he retired to become professor emeritus
Professors in the United States
In the U.S., "Professors" commonly occupy any of several positions in academia, typically the ranks of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or Full Professor....
at the University of Illinois.
Honors, awards and achievements
Kaler published over 120 papers. Examples include work on- the chemical composition of planetary nebulaPlanetary nebulaA planetary nebula is an emission nebula consisting of an expanding glowing shell of ionized gas ejected during the asymptotic giant branch phase of certain types of stars late in their life...
e including their electron densities, on - emission lines of planetaryPlanetary nebulaA planetary nebula is an emission nebula consisting of an expanding glowing shell of ionized gas ejected during the asymptotic giant branch phase of certain types of stars late in their life...
and diffuse nebulae, on - the development of shells in planetary nebulae, and on
- stellar evolutionStellar evolutionStellar evolution is the process by which a star undergoes a sequence of radical changes during its lifetime. Depending on the mass of the star, this lifetime ranges from only a few million years to trillions of years .Stellar evolution is not studied by observing the life of a single...
.
He has held Fulbright
Fulbright Program
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright-Hays Program, is a program of competitive, merit-based grants for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists, founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946. Under the...
and Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
s, and has been awarded medals for his work from the University of Liège
University of Liège
The University of Liège , in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium, is a major public university in the French Community of Belgium. Its official language is French.-History:...
in Belgium and the University of Mexico. He gave the Armand Spitz Lecture to the Great Lakes Planetarium Association and the Margaret Noble Address to the Middle Atlantic Planetarium Society
Middle Atlantic Planetarium Society
The Middle Atlantic Planetarium Society is a professional organization of planetarium manufacturers, equipment suppliers, and personnel working in planetariums. It was founded in 1965. The society publishes a quarterly journal, The Constellation, and holds annual conferences, usually in May...
. In 2003 he received the 2003 Campus Award for Excellence in Public Engagement by the University of Illinois.
Jim Kaler has written for a variety of magazines, and was a consultant for Time-Life Books. He has long appeared on Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
television and radio. In addition to two textbooks and three audio courses, he published several books, including
- Stars and their Spectra,
- The Ever-Changing Sky,
- Extreme Stars (American Association of Publishers Outstanding Professional and Scholarly Title in Physics and Astronomy for 2001),
- The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Stars,
- Stars and Cosmic Clouds,
- The Little Book of Stars,
- The Greatest Hundred Stars, and
- Heaven's Touch (selected Book of the Week by Times Higher Education in September 2009).
He has served as President of the Board of Directors of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Astronomical Society of the Pacific
The Astronomical Society of the Pacific is a scientific and educational organization, founded in San Francisco on February 7, 1889. Its name derives from its origins on the Pacific Coast, but today it has members all over the country and the world...
, and of the Board of the Champaign Urbana Symphony Orchestra
Champaign Urbana Symphony Orchestra
The Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra is a professional orchestra located in the Champaign-Urbana Metropolitan Area in central Illinois. The Orchestra is the Professional Orchestra in Residence at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of the University of Illinois at...
.
Asteroid 1998 JK was named 17853 Kaler in honor of his outreach activities, and in 2008 he received the American Astronomical Society
American Astronomical Society
The American Astronomical Society is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC...
's Education Prize.
His science WWW-star database "STARS" has scored more than 3.4 million visitors since its release.
External links
- CV/Resumé Illinois University
- Biographical Sketch Illinois University