Erika Böhm-Vitense facts for kids

Erika Helga Ruth Böhm-Vitense (born June 3, 1923 – died January 21, 2017) was a brilliant scientist. She was an astrophysicist from Germany who later became an American citizen. Erika was famous for her studies of special stars called Cepheid variables. She also researched how heat moves inside stars, a process called convection.

Early Life and Family

Erika Helga Ruth Vitense was born on June 3, 1923. Her birthplace was Kurau, Germany. She was the middle child of three girls. Her parents, Wilma and Hans Vitense, were both teachers. Erika and her sisters grew up in Lübeck, Germany.

Erika's Education Journey

Erika started her university studies in 1943. She first attended the University of Tübingen. In 1945, she moved to Kiel University. She chose Kiel because it had a stronger astronomy department. She finished her first degree in 1948.

Erika continued her studies at Kiel for her advanced degree. She worked with a famous scientist named Albrecht Unsöld. In 1951, Erika earned her doctorate degree. Her research was about how light is absorbed in the Sun.

Important Research and Work

After getting her Ph.D., Erika stayed at Kiel. She worked there as a researcher.

Two years later, she published a very important paper. It was about the hydrogen convection zone of the Sun. This paper became one of her most famous works. Many other scientists have used it in their own research.

In 1954, Erika got married. She and her husband, who was also an astrophysicist, visited the United States. They spent a year at Lick Observatory and the University of California, Berkeley. When they returned to Kiel, her husband got a permanent job. However, Erika did not.

In 1968, Erika and her husband moved to the University of Washington in the U.S. She began as a Senior Research Associate. In 1971, she became a full professor. Later, she became a professor emeritus, which means she retired but kept her title.

During her time at the University of Washington, Erika made many key discoveries. She helped us understand binary stars (stars that orbit each other). She also studied star temperatures and how stars rotate. Her work on Mixing Length Theory was very important. This theory explains how energy moves inside stars. She continued this work throughout her career.

Around 1978, Erika realized something important. She found that ultraviolet light was best for observing star atmospheres. The International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) satellite launched in January 1978. This allowed her to use new data to continue her amazing research.

Key Publications

Erika wrote over 300 academic papers. She was the main author for more than two-thirds of them.

• The Hydrogen Convection Zone of the Sun (1953)
• Introduction to Stellar Astrophysics (1989) ISBN: 0-521-34869-2

Personal Life

Erika met her husband, Karl-Heinz Böhm, at Kiel University. He was also studying astrophysics. They got married in 1953. They had four children together: Hans, Manfred, Helga, and Eva.

Later Years and Passing

Erika Böhm-Vitense passed away on January 21, 2017. She died in Seattle, Washington.

Awards and Recognitions

Erika received many honors for her contributions to science:

• She won the best thesis prize at Kiel University in 1951.
• In 1965, she received the Annie Jump Cannon Prize. This award is from the American Astronomical Society.
• She was chosen as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
• In 2003, she was awarded the Karl Schwarzschild Medal. This is a top honor from the German Astronomical Society.

See also

In Spanish: Erika Böhm-Vitense para niños