Posted on March 21, 2019
Today's famous birthday is known partly for his scientific findings and partly for promoting science in his nation.
Guillermo Haro de Barraza, born in Mexico City on this date in 1913, went to university to study philosophy and law, not science. He ended up becoming a reporter, not a professional scientist.
But then his life took an unexpected turn:
In his work as a newspaper reporter, Haro interviewed an astronomer and became interested in astronomy...
Interested enough that he was hired as an assistant at an observatory in the Mexican state of Puebla...and then trained at four U.S. observatories (including Harvard College Observatory), and then did original astronomical research. |
| Haro 11 |
He discovered loads of planetary nebulae, T Tauri stars, flare stars, novae. He discovered one supernova and one comet. His name has been given to a galaxy: Galaxy Haro 11. And his name, along with the name of his co-discoverer, has been given to a new type of large planetary nebula: Herbig-Haro objects.
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| Check out this animation of a Herbig-Haro object. |
Haro became the youngest person to become a member of a Mexican honor society, and he became the first person elected to the Royal Astronomical Society from Mexico.
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| This is an artist's drawing of a young T Tauri star. |
With Haro's enthusiasm for and accomplishments in astronomy, he was able to foster the development of that science in Mexico. He founded the Mexican Academy of Sciences, and became its first president, and he also founded Mexico's National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics, and Electronics.
All I can say is, hooray for unexpected turns!
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