|
Photo 1970, courtesy Prof. Oort | |
| 28 April 1900 | 1942 Bruce Medalist | 5 November 1992 |
Jan Oort, who worked at the University of Leiden from 1924 to 1992, began studying stellar dynamics under Jacobus C. Kapteyn at Groningen. In 1927 Oort confirmed Bertil Lindblad’s hypothesis of galactic rotation by analyzing motions of distant stars. Oort found evidence for differential rotation and founded the mathematical theory of galactic structure. During World War II Oort started Hendrik C. van de Hulst on the successful search for a radio spectral line. Following the war Oort led the Dutch group which built a 25-m radio telescope at Dwingeloo and used the 21-cm line to map hydrogen gas in the Galaxy. They found the large-scale spiral structure, the galactic center, and gas cloud motions. In 1950 Oort proposed the now generally accepted model for the origin of comets. He later showed that light from the Crab Nebula is polarized, confirming Iosif S. Shklovskii’s suggestion of synchrotron radiation. He continued researching the Milky Way and other galaxies and their distribution until shortly before his death at 92. Oort was a leader in European astronomy and played a major role in the rise of the European Southern Observatory and other international organizations.
King, Arthur S., PASP 58, 229-32 (1946).
American Astronomical Society, Henry Norris Russell Lectureship, 1951.
Association pour le Développement International de
l’Observatoire de Nice, ADION medal, 1978
Astronomische Gesellschaft, Karl Schwarzschild Medal, 1972.
Vetlesen Foundation, Vetlesen Prize, 1966.
Inamori Foundation, Kyoto Prize, 1987.
International Balzan Foundation, Balzan Prize, 1984.
National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Jansky Prize, 1967.
Royal Astronomical Society, Gold medal, 1946.
International Astronomical Union, President, 1958-61; General Secretary, 1935-48.
Blaauw, Adriaan, Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers (Springer, NY, 2007), pp. 853-55.
Chapman, David M.F., “Reflections: Jan Hendrik Oort—- Swirling Galaxies and Clouds of Comets,” JRASC 94, 53-54 (2000).
ESA Space Science, “Comet Pioneer: Jan Hendrik Oort,” 27 February 2004.
Oort, J.H., “Some Notes on My Life as an Astronomer,” Annual Reviews of Astronomy & Astrophysics 19, 1 (1981).
Katgert-Merkelijn, J., University of Leiden, Jan Oort, Astronomer
van de Hulst, H.C., Biographical Memoirs of the Royal Society of London 40, 320-26 (1994).
van Woerden, Hugo, Willem N. Brouw, and Henk C. van de Hulst, eds., Oort and the Universe: A Sketch of Oort’s Research and Person (D. Reidel, Dordrecht, 1980).
Blaauw, Adriaan, Zenit jaarg, 196-210 (1993).
Blaauw, Adriaan & Maarten Schmidt, PASP 105, 681 (1993).
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Pecker, J.-C., ”La Vie et l’Oeuvre de Jan Hendrik Oort,” Comptes Rendus de l’Acadèmie des Sciences: La Vie des Science 10, 5, 535-540 (1993).
van de Hulst, H.C., QJRAS 35, 237-42 (1994).
van den Bergh, Sidney, “An Astronomical Life: J.H. Oort (1900-1992),” JRASC 87, 73-76 (1993).
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Woltjer, Lodewijk, Physics Today 46, 11, 104-05 (1993).
AIP Center for History of Physics.
Friedman, Jon R., Portrait Sketch.
University of Leiden: Jan Oort, Astronomer (many).
University of Leiden Observatory (six photos).
Weisstein, Eric W
Minor Planet #1691 Oort
Oort Cloud of comets around the Sun.
Oort Constants of galactic structure
J.H. Oort Building, Leiden University
| Please send comments, additions, corrections, and questions to joe.tenn@sonoma.edu | JST 2013-09-29 |
