Ira S. Bowen
Ira Sprague Bowen (born December 21, 1898 in Seneca Falls , New York , USA , † February 6, 1973 ) was an American astronomer and astrophysicist.
Life
In 1919 Bowen graduated from Oberlin College and went to the University of Chicago . He studied with Albert A. Michelson . In 1926 he received his PhD.
In 1927 Bowen discovered that the hypothesis of the element nebulium was unnecessary . Nebulium had been proposed to explain unidentified strong green spectral lines found in gas nebulae in 1864 . Bowen studied ultraviolet spectra of ionized atoms and, with the knowledge gained from this about their energy levels , was able to explain the unidentified green spectral lines by forbidden lines of oxygen and nitrogen . These occur in particular in interstellar gas and molecular clouds and polar light , i.e. with extremely low gas densities.
In 1936 he was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences , in 1940 in the American Philosophical Society and in 1950 in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences .
Bowen was director of the Mt. Wilson and Mount Palomar Observatories (see Hale Observatories ) from 1948 to 1964 .
The Bowen lunar crater is named after Bowen, as is the asteroid (3363) Bowen and the Bowen ratio of meteorology that it defines .
Awards
- 1942 Henry Draper Medal
- 1957 Bruce Medal
- 1964 Henry Norris Russell Lectureship
- 1966 Gold Medal from the Royal Astronomical Society
obituary
Web links
- Bruce Medal page
- Awarding of Bruce medal: PASP 69 (1957) 105
- Awarding of RAS gold medal: QJRAS 7 (1966) 114
- Publications by IS Bowen in the Astrophysics Data System
Individual evidence
- ^ Member History: Ira S. Bowen. American Philosophical Society, accessed May 16, 2018 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Bowen, Ira S. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Bowen, Ira Sprague |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American astronomer and astrophysicist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 21, 1898 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Seneca Falls , New York, USA |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 6, 1973 |