Bernard Flood Burke
Bernard Flood Burke (born June 7, 1928 in Brighton , Massachusetts - † August 5, 2018 ) was an American astronomer . He became known through the discovery of radio emissions from the planet Jupiter ( Jupiter bursts ).
In 1955, Burke and Kenneth Franklin , both astronomers at the Carnegie Institution of Washington , searched for radio waves from galaxies . By chance they found a radio signal that resembled that of brief static bursts, similar to the interference caused by lightning on the radio at home . After weeks of study, they found that the signals were periodic and appeared four minutes earlier each day . They came to the planet Jupiter as a source. Radio signals from a planet in our solar system had never been detected before. It was later discovered that the radio waves were circularly polarized, so that one could conclude that a magnetic field must be involved.
The asteroid (18236) Bernardburke is named after him.
Awards
- 1963 Helen B. Warner Prize
- 1970 member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- 1970 member of the National Academy of Sciences
Individual evidence
- ^ Obituary from legacy.com, accessed on August 10, 2018
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Burke, Bernard Flood |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American astronomer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 7, 1928 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Brighton , Massachusetts |
| DATE OF DEATH | 5th August 2018 |