Philip C. Keenan

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Philip C. Keenan (born March 31, 1908 in Bellevue , Pennsylvania , † April 20, 2000 in Columbus , Ohio ) was an American astronomer .

Philip C. Keenan received his Bachelor and Master degrees from the University of Arizona in 1929 and 1930 . He then moved to the University of Chicago and received his doctorate there in 1932 under Otto von Struve and Christian T. Elvey (1899-1970) with the work An Astrophysical Study of the Solar Chromosphere (An astrophysical study of the solar chromosphere ). He taught there until 1942, when he joined the Navy Bureau of Ordnance.

In 1946 he became an assistant professor at Ohio State University in Columbus and staff at the Perkins Observatory of Ohio State and Ohio Wesleyan University . He stayed there until his retirement in 1976, was there for a further 24 years as emeritus and was scientifically active until his death. His last work was published in the Astrophysical Journal in 1999.

The MK system developed by William Wilson Morgan and Keenan between 1939 and 1943 and named after them is still the most common system in spectral classification today . Furthermore, Keenan was particularly concerned with stellar evolution and cooler stars with complex spectra.

On July 5, 2001, the asteroid (10030) Philkeenan was named after him.

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personal data
SURNAME Keenan, Philip C.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American astronomer
DATE OF BIRTH March 31, 1908
PLACE OF BIRTH Bellevue , Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH April 20, 2000
Place of death Columbus , Ohio