Tyler Eugene Nordgren (November 18, 1969) is an

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...

and professor of

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

at the

University of Redlands The University of Redlands is a private university in Redlands, California, United States. The university's main, residential campus is situated on 160 acres (65 ha) near downtown Redlands. An additional eight regional locations throughout Calif ...

Education

Nordgren earned a B.A. in physics from

Reed College Reed College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus in the Eastmoreland, Portland, Oregon, E ...

and an M.S. and Ph.D. in

astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...

from

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 ...

Research

Before joining the University of Redlands in 2001, Nordgren was an astronomer at the

United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station The United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station (NOFS), is an astronomical observatory near Flagstaff, Arizona, US. It is the national dark-sky observing facility under the United States Naval Observatory (USNO). NOFS and USNO combine ...

and

Lowell Observatory Lowell Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. Lowell Observatory was established in 1894, placing it among the oldest observatories in the United States, and was designated a National Historic Landmark ...

. In 2004, with six other astronomers and artists, Nordgren helped develop

MarsDial The MarsDial is a sundial that was devised for missions to Mars. It is used to calibrate the Pancam, Pancam cameras of the Mars landers. MarsDials were placed on the ''Spirit (rover), Spirit'' and ''Opportunity (rover), Opportunity'' Mars Explorat ...

s, functioning sundials that

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

's ''Spirit'', ''Opportunity'', and ''Curiosity'' rovers carried with them to

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

. Nordgren also designed the giant sundial that resides on the wall of Appleton Hall at the

and is accurate within 10 minutes. For the past five years, Nordgren has been traveling around the U.S. to educate the public about what

eclipses An eclipse is an astronomical event which occurs when an astronomical object or spacecraft is temporarily obscured, by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. This alignment of three ...

are and how the opportunity to see the

total solar eclipse A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs approximately every six months, during the eclipse season i ...

on August 21, 2017 should not be missed. More of Nordgren's research on eclipses can be found in his most recent book ''Sun Moon Earth: The History of Solar Eclipses from Omens of Doom to Einstein and Exoplanets'' (Basic Books, 2016).

Collaboration with U.S. National Park Service

Nordgren has been a member of the National Park Service Night Sky Team since 2007, working with the

U.S. National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all national parks; most national monuments; and other natural, historical, and recreational p ...

to protect the night skies and promote astronomy education in U.S. national parks. Nordgren has helped document the parks' night skies with photography that has been on display in galleries from New York City to Flagstaff, Arizona, and is on display in a number of national parks. The Acadia Night Sky Festival has featured many of his photographs. Nordgren has also developed a poster campaign in conjunction with the National Park Service to “See the Milky Way” in America’s parks where “Half the Park is After Dark.” His 2010 book ''Stars Above, Earth Below: A Guide to Astronomy in the National Parks'' (Praxis, 2010) was published as a way to spread the message of the importance of protecting the night sky.

Professional affiliations

Nordgren was elected to the board of directors of the

International Dark-Sky Association DarkSky International, formerly the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), is a United States–based nonprofit organization incorporated in 1988 by founders David Crawford, a professional astronomer, and Tim Hunter, a physician and amateu ...

(IDA) in 2011. He is also a member of the

American Astronomical Society The American Astronomical Society (AAS, sometimes spoken as "double-A-S") is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC. The primary objective of the AAS is to promote the adv ...

Selected publications

* Nordgren, T. E., ''Sun Moon Earth: The History of Solar Eclipses from Omens of Doom to Einstein and Exoplanets'', 2016. (Named "One of Amazon's Best Science Books of 2016") * Nordgren, T. E., ''Stars Above, Earth Below: A Guide to Astronomy in the National Parks'', 2010 (Springer). * Nordgren, T. E., Lane, B. F., Hindsley, R. B., and Kervella, P., "Calibration of the Barnes–Evans Relation Using Interferometric Observations of Cepheids", The Astronomical Journal, 123, 3380, 2002. * Nordgren, T. E., Sudol, J. J., and Mozurkewich, D., "Comparison of Stellar Angular Diameters from the NPOI, the Mark III Optical Interferometer, and the Infrared Flux Method", The Astronomical Journal, 122, 2707, 2001. * Nordgren, T. E., and NPOI Collaboration, "Stellar Angular Diameters of Late–Type Giants and Supergiants Measured with the Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer", The Astronomical Journal, 118, 3032, 1999.

References

External links

* https://www.tylernordgren.com/: Space Art Travel Bureau {{DEFAULTSORT:Nordgren, Tyler 1969 births Living people University of Redlands faculty Reed College alumni Cornell University alumni American astronomers