Joseph Hooton Taylor Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joseph Hooton Taylor Jr.
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Taylor in 2008
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| Born | March 29, 1941 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Haverford College Harvard University |
| Known for | Pulsars, WSJT-X |
| Awards | Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics (1980) Henry Draper Medal (1985) Magellanic Premium (1990) John J. Carty Award (1991) Wolf Prize in Physics (1992) Nobel Prize in Physics (1993) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics |
| Institutions | Princeton University University of Massachusetts Amherst Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory |
| Doctoral students | Russell Alan Hulse, Victoria Kaspi, Ingrid Stairs |
Joseph Hooton Taylor Jr. was born on March 29, 1941. He is an American astrophysicist, which is a scientist who studies space and stars. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics with Russell Alan Hulse. They won for finding a special kind of pulsar. This discovery helped scientists learn new things about gravitation (the force that pulls things together).
Contents
Early Life and Education
Joseph Taylor was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He grew up in Cinnaminson Township, New Jersey. He went to Moorestown Friends School where he was very good at math.
He earned his first degree in physics from Haverford College in 1963. Later, he got his Ph.D. (a higher degree) in astronomy from Harvard University in 1968. After working at Harvard for a short time, Taylor became a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He also helped direct the Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory.
Around the time he finished his Ph.D., another scientist named Jocelyn Bell discovered the first radio pulsars. This happened in England.
Discovering Pulsars
Taylor quickly started working at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in West Virginia. He helped find some of the first pulsars discovered outside of England. Since then, he has studied many different things about pulsars.
In 1974, Taylor and Russell Alan Hulse found the first pulsar that was part of a binary system. This means it was orbiting another star. They named it PSR B1913+16. This pulsar was also the first "recycled" pulsar ever found.
A recycled pulsar is a Neutron star that spins very fast. It gets its fast spin from taking in mass from a nearby companion star.
Gravitational Waves and Einstein's Theory
The two stars in this binary system are slowly getting closer. This happens because they lose energy by sending out gravitational radiation. Gravitational radiation is like ripples in space-time, predicted by Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity.
Einstein's theory predicted exactly how fast the orbit should shrink. For over 30 years, Taylor and his team measured this shrinkage. Their measurements matched Einstein's prediction very closely, proving that gravitational radiation exists. This was a huge discovery!
Many other binary pulsars have been found since then. Their measurements also confirm Taylor's findings.
In 1980, Taylor moved to Princeton University. He was a distinguished professor there and also served as the Dean of Faculty for six years. He retired in 2006.
Amateur Radio Hobby
Joseph Taylor got his amateur radio license when he was a teenager. This hobby helped lead him to study radio astronomy. He is very well known in the world of amateur radio. His call sign (his unique radio ID) is K1JT.
In 2010, he even used the huge Arecibo Radio Telescope to talk to amateur radio operators around the world. He used different ways to communicate, including voice, Morse code, and digital signals. This is called "moonbounce" because the signals bounce off the Moon!
Taylor also helped create computer programs and communication methods for amateur radio. One famous program is called WSJT. This software helps people send short messages over long distances using very weak radio signals. It's useful for things like moonbounce or when signals scatter off meteors. It also lets people make contacts using very low power.
Taylor also helped create the popular FT8 radio mode.
Awards and Honors
Joseph Taylor has received many important awards for his work:
- Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics (1980)
- Henry Draper Medal (1985)
- Magellanic Premium (1990)
- Albert Einstein Medal (1991)
- John J. Carty Award for the Advancement of Science (1991)
- Wolf Prize in Physics (1992)
- Nobel Prize in Physics (1993)
- Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement (1995)
- Karl Schwarzschild Medal (1997)
An asteroid was even named after him! It's called 81859 Joetaylor. This happened in 2006 when he retired from Princeton University.
Taylor was also one of the first people to receive a MacArthur Fellowship. He has served on many important science committees. He helped write a report called Astronomy and Astrophysics in the New Millennium. This report set the main goals for astronomy and astrophysics in the United States from 2000 to 2010.
See also
In Spanish: Joseph Hooton Taylor Jr. para niños
- Harold E. Taylor, brother – physicist
