Sidney van den Bergh
Sidney Van den Bergh, OC, FRS (born 20 May 1929, Wassenaar) is a Canadian astronomer.[3]
Born in the Netherlands, son of businessman Sidney James Van den Bergh, he showed an interest in science from an early age, learning to read with books on astronomy.[4] In addition to being interested in astronomy, he also liked geology and archeology.[4] His parents got him science books, a telescope, and a microscope, although they wished him to pursue a more practical career and only follow astronomy as a hobby.[4] He went to Leiden University in the Netherlands from 1947–1948. He then attended Princeton University on scholarship where he received his A.B. in 1950.[3][4] In December of 1950, he was living in Columbus, Ohio and evidencing an interest in Astronomy.[5] He obtained an M.Sc. from Ohio State University (1952) and a Dr. rer. nat. from the University of Goettingen (1956).[3]
He took a faculty position at Ohio State University from 1956-1958 before moving to Toronto in 1958 where he spent the first part of his career at the David Dunlap Observatory (DDO) of the University of Toronto.[3] At the DDO, he led innovations that included: expansion of the facilities, utilization of computers, and multicolor photometry.[3] While his areas of focus have included the moon and other parts of our solar system, he is best known for his work in extragalactic astronomy in which he has published original findings and reviews of nebulae, star clusters, variable stars, supernovae and more recently, an update to the estimated age of the universe.[3] He discovered Andromeda II.[6]
The second part of his career began in 1978 in Victoria, British Columbia, at the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory where he was appointed director in 1977 and took office in 1978, remaining in that position until 1986 when he semi-retired and took the new role of principal research officer.[3][7] He has served as President of the Canadian Astronomical Society and as Vice-President of the International Astronomical Union from 1972 to 1982 and President from 1985 to 1988.[8]
Beginning in 1982, he started serving as chairman and president of the board of the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Corporation in Hawaii.[3] Together with C. J. Pritchet in March 1986 he created great images of some of the jets of Halley's Comet.[3]
Honours
Awards
- Elected Fellow of the Royal Society (1988)
- First National Research Council President's Science Medal (1988)[3]
- Henry Norris Russell Lectureship (1990)
- Killam Prize (1990)[4]
- Appointed officer of the Order of Canada (1994)[3]
- Carlyle S. Beals Award (1998)
- Bruce Medal (2008)
Named after him
- Asteroid 4230 Van den Bergh[8]
- Comet Van den Bergh (discovered by Van den Bergh in 1974)[3]
External links
- An Astronomical Life by Sidney Van den Bergh - 404 error at 17 July 2009.Van den Bergh, Sidney (1995). "An Astronomical Life". Comments on Astrophysics. 18 (3): 181–190.
- Retired NRC Astronomer Wins Prestigious International Award
References
- ^ "Deaths", New York Times, vol. 96, no. 32, 393, p. 29, 2 October 1946, ISSN 2295612
{{citation}}: Check|issn=value (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ "Suit Names Dutch Aide", New York Times, vol. 108, no. 37, 075, p. 6, 28 July 1959, ISSN 1460674
{{citation}}: Check|issn=value (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l McNicholl, Martin K., Van den Bergh, Sidney, The Canadian Encyclopedia, Historica Foundation, retrieved 16-12-2008
{{citation}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ a b c d e Profile: Sidney Van den Bergh, GCS Research Society, 2007, retrieved 17-12-2008
{{citation}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Van den Bergh, Sidney (5 January 1951), "Solar Distances", New York Times, vol. 100, no. 33, 949, p. 20, ISSN 1521156
{{citation}}: Check|issn=value (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ McConnachie, A. W.; Irwin, M. J.; Ferguson, A. M. N.; Ibata, R. A.; Lewis, G. F.; Tanvir, N. (2005). "Distances and metallicities for 17 Local Group galaxies". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 356 (4): 979–997. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2004.08514.x.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ "Illusion May Shed Light On Fate of the Cosmos", New York Times, vol. 140, no. 48, 546, p. B10, 21 March 1991, ISSN 1655540
{{citation}}: Check|issn=value (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ a b Canadian Asteroids, The Royal Astronomy Society of Canada, July 22, 2008, retrieved 19-01-2009
{{citation}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)