Bishun Narain Khare (27 June 1933 – 20 August 2013) was a scientist who specialized in the chemistry of planetary atmospheres and of molecules relevant to biology. He published several papers on

tholin Tholins (after the Greek (') "hazy" or "muddy"; from the ancient Greek word meaning "sepia ink") are a wide variety of organic compounds formed by solar ultraviolet or cosmic rays, cosmic ray irradiation of simple carbon-containing compounds su ...

s, the organic molecules formed by ultraviolet radiation or cosmic rays. From 1968 to 1996, Khare worked in

Carl Sagan Carl Edward Sagan (; ; November 9, 1934December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, planetary scientist and science communicator. His best known scientific contribution is his research on the possibility of extraterrestrial life, including e ...

's Laboratory for Planetary Studies at

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

. During this time he appeared in the ''Cosmos'' television series. From 1996 to 1998, he worked at the

NASA Ames Research Center The Ames Research Center (ARC), also known as NASA Ames, is a major NASA research center at Moffett Federal Airfield in California's Silicon Valley. It was founded in 1939 as the second National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) laborat ...

and from 1998 onward he worked at the

SETI Institute The SETI Institute is a not-for-profit research organization incorporated in 1984 whose mission is to explore, understand, and explain the origin and nature of life in the universe, and to use this knowledge to inspire and guide present and futu ...

. After his death, the

International Astronomical Union The International Astronomical Union (IAU; , UAI) is an international non-governmental organization (INGO) with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreach, education, and developmen ...

named a crater on

Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of Trans-Neptunian object, bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the Su ...

after him called the Khare Crater.

Publications

References/ External links

Profile on SETIMemorial Page on SETI
1933 births 2013 deaths 20th-century Indian astronomers Indian astrophysicists Astrochemists Planetary scientists Scientists from Varanasi {{India-scientist-stub