Bart Jan Bok

Introduction

Bart Jan Bok was an influential Dutch astronomer, working closely in the development of radio astronomy and its applications in observing the Milky Way Galaxy. Bok was a prolific figure whose knowledge led him to the discovery of “Bok globules”--dark, gaseous clouds that are the host of early stellar development. During his long years in the field, Bok was deeply devoted to mentoring the next generation of great astronomers--working closely with expanding graduate programs and teaching the public about the use of radio telescopes. His work and legacy live on in both his scientific achievements and his many disciples. 

His Life and Legacy

Bartholomeus “Bart” Jan Bok was born in Hoorn, Holland on April 28th, 1906. He decided to become an astronomer at age 12--spending late nights keeping watch over stellar movements on camping trips with his Boy Scout Troop. His studies as an undergraduate at Leiden University in 1924 fostered his keen interest in the Milky Way Galaxy, which propelled him to start PhD work at the Astrophysical Observatory in Groningen in 1927. Following connections made during his undergraduate years with esteemed Harvard astronomer Harlow Shapley, Bok accepted the Agassiz Fellowship to complete his doctoral studies at Harvard in 1929. He would be named an Assistant and later an Associate Professor at Harvard, eventually becoming the Associate Director of the Harvard College Observatory in 1946.

At Harvard, Bok quickly gained a name for himself through his statistical studies of galactic structure. Creating a network of what he called “star counters,” across the United States, Bok monitored each location to discuss new findings. With the help of these counters, Bok was credited with the discovery of “Bok globules” in 1946--gaseous clouds posited as hosts of massive stellar formation. 

In 1952, Bok left Harvard to become the Director of the Mt. Stromlo Observatory at Australia National University. During his tenure there, Bok completely revitalized their image, investing heavily in the emergence of their radio astronomy program. His work established a 74 inch radio telescope for Mt. Stromlo’s research purposes, in addition to a new observing site in the nearby town of Siding Spring Fountain. Per one of Bok’s former graduate students “[Bok] realized the benefits of combined optical and radio astronomy research, and sought a close relationship between the Mt. Stromlo scientists and the radio astronomers in Sydney.” Bok then spearheaded a graduate program in astronomy at the university, along with a summer vacation program at Stromlo, giving novices a hands-on introduction to astronomy that actually became the start of many astronomers’ careers. When he left Australia in 1966, the Mt. Stromlo Observatory was a world class observing and radio astronomy facility. Returning to the United States, Bok became the Director of the Steward Observatory at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Like his work in Australia, Bok completely reinvigorated the University’s Astronomy Department, becoming one of the top six programs in the nation by Bok’s departure. By the end of his academic career, Bok had directed over 60 PhD dissertations by many students who would become leaders in astronomy.

Bok’s importance in the field of radio astronomy cannot be overstated. In 1941, he helped establish the Mexican National Observatory at Tonantzintla. In 1950, he spent the year installing Schmidt telescope at Harvard Boyden Station in South Africa. Back at Harvard, Bok organized a team of physics students to construct a radio telescope at the Harvard Agassiz Station, training a generation of influential American radio astronomers. With these radio telescopes, Bok was able to determine the relationship between interstellar gas and dust as well as hypothesise the molecular conversion of HI (a neutral form of atomic hydrogen) emissions from the globules. With his impressive track record, Bok served on the National Science Foundation Advisory Committee to establish a National Radio Astronomy Observatory. 

Ultimately, Bart Jan Bok was an extraordinary networker of astronomical professionals across the entire world, serving as the President of the American Astronomical Society, the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, and as the Vice President of the International Astronomical Union. His work in radio astronomy probed further than ever before into the mysteries of the Milky Way Galaxy. When asked to submit a short biography of his life to the publication Who’s Who in America, Bok responded, “I have been a happy astronomer for the past sixty years, wandering through the highways and byways of our beautiful Milky Way.” 

Bok died while working at his desk in Tucson, Arizona, on August 5th, 1983.

Resources

“Bart Bok - Session I.” Interview by David DeVorkin. The American Institute of Physics. May 15, 1978. https://www.aip.org/history-programs/niels-bohr-library/oral-histories/4518-1.

Lada, C.J. “Bart Jan Bok 1906-83.” Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society. 28, no. 4. December 1987. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1987QJRAS..28..539L.

Miller, Freeman D. “Bart J. Bok Across a Half-Century.” The Astronomy Quarterly. 6, no. 21. 1988. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0364922982900148.

Milman, Peter M. “Bart Jan Bok, 1906-1983.” Journal of The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. 78, no. 1. 1984. http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?1984JRASC..78....3M&data_type=PDF_HIGH&whole_paper=YES&type=PRINTER&filetype=.pdf.

National Radio Astronomy Observatory. “What are Radio Telescopes?.” The National Science Foundation. https://public.nrao.edu/telescopes/radio-telescopes/.

Robertson, Peter. “Bok, Bart Jan (1906-1983).” Australian Dictionary of Biography. 17. 2007. http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/bok-bart-jan-129.

Sullivan, Walter. “Bart J. Bok, 77, Astronomer; Authority on the Milky Way.” The New York Times. August 11, 1983. https://www.nytimes.com/1983/08/11/obituaries/bart-j-bok-77-astronomer-authority-on-the-milky-way.html.

White, Raymond E. “Bart, Bok Jan.” The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers. 2007. https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-0-387-30400-7_178.

Whiteoak, J.B. “Student Memories of Bart Bok - an Astronomical Godfather.” Proceedings of the Astronomical Society of Australia. 5, no. 4. 1984. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1984PASAu...5..608W.