Priscilla Fairfield Bok facts for kids

Priscilla Fairfield Bok (born April 14, 1896 – died November 1975) was an American astronomer. She was married to another famous astronomer, Bart Bok. He directed the Mount Stromlo Observatory in Australia and later the Steward Observatory in Arizona, USA.

Priscilla and Bart worked together very closely for forty years. It was hard to tell their achievements apart. They wrote many scientific papers together. These papers were about star clusters, how bright stars are (called magnitude), and the shape of our home galaxy, the Milky Way. The Boks loved sharing astronomy with everyone. The Boston Globe newspaper called them "salesmen of the Milky Way". Their popular book, The Milky Way, was printed five times. People said it was "one of the most successful astronomy books ever written".

Becoming an Astronomer

Priscilla Fairfield grew up in Littleton, Massachusetts. Her father was a minister. She worked hard to pay for her studies at Boston University. On weekends, she would sometimes pay the watchman. This let her use the university's solar telescope on the roof. Later, this telescope was named after her. In 1916, she wrote an article about sunspots for a magazine called Popular Astronomy.

Priscilla went to UC Berkeley for her advanced studies. She graduated in 1921. She wanted to be an astronomer. She turned down job offers on the West Coast. Instead, she chose to work at Smith College Observatory in Massachusetts. There, she studied special stars called RR Lyrae variable stars. She worked with famous astronomers Harlow Shapley and Bertil Lindblad at the Harvard College Observatory.

In 1928, Priscilla was an assistant professor. She went to an astronomy meeting in the Netherlands. There, she met a young student named Bart Bok. He was ten years younger than her. Bart proposed to her at the end of the meeting. They wrote letters to each other for a year. Priscilla wanted to be sure about marriage.

Bart moved to Harvard in the US in 1929. He was invited by Harlow Shapley. Priscilla and Bart got married on September 9, 1929. This was just three days after Bart arrived in the US.

Working at Harvard

Priscilla and Bart stayed at Harvard for 25 years. Bart became a professor there. Priscilla continued her research and writing. However, she was not paid for her work. This was common for women in science at that time.

The Boks had two children. Their son, John, was born in 1930. Their daughter, Joyce, was born in 1933. Priscilla mostly stayed home to raise their children. During this time, she published less scientific research. But she and Bart often worked together to teach the public about astronomy.

Their marriage was also a strong scientific partnership. It was hard to tell their individual achievements apart. They wrote many scientific papers together. These papers were about star clusters, star brightness, and the structure of the Milky Way galaxy. They were known for their excitement in sharing astronomy with others. In 1936, The Boston Globe called them "salesmen of the Milky Way".

Their most important joint work was a book called The Milky Way. It was a textbook for college students and a popular science book for everyone. It was first published in 1941. The book was printed five times and translated into many languages. Bart said they shared the writing of the book equally.

Priscilla and I worked on the book about the Milky Way. She had a small room upstairs where she wrote. We agreed that I would write four chapters and she would write four chapters. We loved each other dearly, no problems. Later, we decided to swap chapters to make the book flow better. Priscilla once said, "If you want to change things that way, my part can go in the fireplace right now." She didn't do it. But that was the hardest time in our married life, trying to combine our chapters. But it worked out, and later we had fun with it. Writing a book together is not always easy if you have strong feelings.

Life in Australia

In 1957, the Boks moved to Australia. Bart became the Director of the Mount Stromlo Observatory in Canberra. During their nine years in Australia, Bart started a program for graduate students. He also got money from the Prime Minister, Robert Menzies, for a new telescope. He helped set up another observatory at Siding Spring. He also helped start the Anglo-Australian Telescope.

Bart was very busy with these big projects. This meant he had less time for his own research. Priscilla spent many nights at the Stromlo telescopes. She observed stars and then studied the data. She was very interested in finding star positions and measuring their brightness.

Priscilla and Bart had a loving relationship. They were often seen walking hand in hand at Mount Stromlo. They would talk deeply about their work. Priscilla was quiet and understanding. This balanced Bart's energetic and lively personality.

For new editions of their book, The Milky Way, they had to make many changes. This was because astronomy was advancing quickly. Priscilla thought it was very important for the book to be easy for everyone to understand. Bart remembered her saying:

Whenever we got ready for a new edition, we would say, "Now it's time to pick our committee." We had an imaginary committee of about five people. If we argued about something, she would say, "Listen, you have your grandson on our committee. He couldn't understand this. You are writing for [astronomer] Jan Oort – and that's fine, if you want to write for Jan Oort, write another book, but don't put it in our book."

Back in the US

In 1966, the Boks moved back to the US. Bart became the Director of Steward Observatory in Arizona. He held this job until 1970.

Priscilla had a stroke in 1972. Her health got worse in the next few years. Bart left his position as vice-president of the International Astronomical Union in 1974. He wanted to take care of her. Priscilla died from a heart attack in November 1975.

How She is Remembered

Priscilla Bok is remembered in several ways:

• An asteroid was named after her: (2137) Priscilla. This happened after she passed away.
• A crater on the far side of the Moon is named after both Priscilla and Bart Bok. It is 43 kilometers wide.
• Another asteroid, (1983) Bok, discovered in 1975, is also named for both of them.
• The Astronomical Society of the Pacific and the American Astronomical Society give out two "Priscilla and Bart Bok Awards" each year. These awards are for astronomy projects at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. They recognize the Boks' work in teaching about astronomy.
• The Australian National University gives the Priscilla Fairfield Bok Prize every year. It goes to a female third-year science student.

See also

In Spanish: Priscilla Fairfield Bok para niños