 |
John Bahcall
(30 Dec 1934- )
American astrophysicist
who pioneered the development of neutrino astrophysics in the early
1960s.
He theorized that neutrinos (subatomic particles that have no charge
and exceedingly weak interaction with matter) can be used to
understanding how stars shine.
|
“I know all about neutrinos, and my
friend here knows about everything else in astrophysics.”
— John Bahcall
His standard phrase when
introducing himself and a colleague to a new acquaintance
Sky and Telescope (Jan 1990)
Sky and Telescope (Jan 1990)
“We
should do astronomy
because it is beautiful and because it is fun. We should do it because
people want to know. We want to know our place in the universe and how
things happen.”
— John Bahcall
Sky
and Telescope (Jan 1990)
“These
neutrino observations are so exciting and significant
that I
think we're about to see the birth of an entirely new branch of
astronomy: neutrino astronomy. Supernova explosions that are invisible
to us because of dust clouds may occur in our galaxy as often as once
every 10 years, and neutrino bursts could give us a way to study them.”
— John Bahcall
New
York Times (3 Apr 1987)
“The
earth's
atmosphere is an
imperfect window on the universe. Electromagnetic waves in the optical
part of the spectrum (that is, waves longer than X rays and shorter
than radio waves) penetrate to the surface of the earth only in a few
narrow spectral bands. The widest of the transmitted bands corresponds
roughly to the colors of visible light; waves in the flanking
ultraviolet and infrared regions of the optical spectrum are almost
totally absorbed by the atmosphere. In addition, atmospheric turbulence
blurs the images of celestial objects, even when they are viewed
through the most powerful ground-based telescopes.”
— John Bahcall
in an article promoting the
construction of the Hubble Space Telescope
Scientific American (July 1977)
Scientific American (July 1977)
“We
shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And to know the place for the first time.”
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And to know the place for the first time.”
— T.S. Eliot
from Four
Quartets,
a favorite quotation John Bahcall used
in his presentation at the Neutrino 2000 conference
a favorite quotation John Bahcall used
in his presentation at the Neutrino 2000 conference
