James Binney facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James J. Binney
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Binney in 2013
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| Born | 12 April 1950 Surrey, UK
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| Alma mater | University of Cambridge (BA) Christ Church, Oxford (DPhil) |
| Known for | Theoretical galactic and extragalactic astrophysics |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astrophysics |
| Institutions | Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton University of Oxford Princeton University |
| Thesis | On the Formation of Galaxies (1975) |
| Doctoral advisor | Dennis Sciama |
| Doctoral students | Brian Greene |
James Jeffrey Binney is a brilliant British scientist. He was born on April 12, 1950. He is an astrophysicist, which means he studies space using the rules of physics. He is a professor of physics at the University of Oxford in the UK. He is known for his important work on how galaxies form and move.
His Journey in Science
James Binney started his studies at the University of Cambridge. He earned a top degree in 1971. After that, he went to the University of Oxford. There, he earned his D.Phil. degree in 1975. A D.Phil. is like a very advanced university degree.
After finishing his studies, he worked at different places. This included a time at Princeton University in the United States. In 1981, he returned to Oxford. He became a university lecturer and a fellow at Merton College. He also spent time as a visiting scholar at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. He became a full professor of physics in 1996.
What He Studies
Professor Binney spends his time researching many exciting things about space. He tries to understand how galaxies work. He also studies how they change over time.
Some of his main research topics include:
- How hot gas cools down in space around galaxies.
- How huge explosions from dying stars (called supernovas) affect gas in galaxies.
- How galaxies move and interact with each other. This includes our own Milky Way galaxy.
- Creating special computer models to understand how galaxies and orbits of stars work.
Awards and Honors
Professor Binney has received many important awards for his work. These awards show how much his research has helped us understand the universe.
Some of his awards include:
- The Maxwell Prize in 1986.
- The Brouwer Award in 2003.
- The Dirac Medal in 2010.
- The Eddington Medal in 2013.
- The Isaac Newton Medal in 2023.
He became a member of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1973. In 2000, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists in the UK. In 2025, he received the Royal Astronomical Society Gold Medal. This was for all his amazing work studying galaxies.
