Prof. Abt Helmut

Astronomer Emeritus,

Kitt Peak National Observatory

Email: abt@noao.edu

Education:

• B.S. Northwestern Univ. (math), 1946

• M.S. Northwestern Univ. (physics), 1948

• Ph.D., Caltech (astrophysics), 1952

Professional experiences:

• Assistant Prof., Univ. Chicago, 1953-59

• Astronomer, Kitt Peak National Observatory, 1959-2000

• Editor-in-Chief, Astrophysical Journal, 1971-1999

Honors and awards:

• George Van Biesbroeck Prize, AAS, 1997

Research interests:

stellar evolution, double stars, publication studies

Research achievement

In 1976 I showed that more than half of all solar-type stars have companion stars; refinements of that study started the discoveries of exoplanets. Published 319 research papers, of which 102 were published after I retired in 2000.

Invited Review: An earlier explosion date for the Crab Nebula supernova by Prof. Abt Helmut