Kenneth L. Franklin | |
|---|---|
 Franklin in the 1960s | |
| Born | March 25, 1923 |
| Died | June 18, 2007(2007-06-18) (aged 84) |
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley |
| Known for | Hayden Planetarium,Jupiter |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | astronomy |
| Thesis | A spectrophotometric investigation of Capella (1953) |
Kenneth Linn Franklin (March 25, 1923 – June 18, 2007) was an Americanastronomer and educator. Franklin was the chief scientist at theHayden Planetarium from 1956 to 1984 and was co-credited with discoveringradio waves originating onJupiter, the first detection of signals from another planet.[1][2] He was often a local and national media figure including duringApollo 11, the first human mission to themoon, when Franklin was an on-camera astronomy expert forNBC.[1]
Franklin was born inAlameda, California to Myles Arthur and Ruth Linn (Houston) Franklin. He received anA.A. degree from theUniversity of California, Berkeley in 1944 andbachelor's degree in 1948.[1][3] He married Beverly Mattson on November 29, 1949. He earned aPh.D. from Berkeley in 1953 and a researchfellowship at the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at theCarnegie Institution of Washington from 1954 to 1956.[1] In 1955, Franklin and Dr. Bernard F. Burke were scanning for space signals when they heard a hissing noise. Originally thinking the noise was a passing vehicle's spark plug, they soon traced it to Jupiter, the first noise ever traced to a specific planet. They presented their findings to theAmerican Astronomical Society on April 6, 1955.[2] In March 1956, Franklin's wife, with whom he had two daughters, died.[1] Franklin began working at the Hayden Planetarium the same year. On May 18, 1958, he married Charlotte Walton, who worked at Carnagie in the terrestrial magnetism dept., and later legally adopted a daughter from her previous marriage.[1]He also specialized in solar eclipses.
After the notable discovery of 1955, Franklin was frequently invited as an astronomical expert on television and radio. He appeared on aCBSSputnik special in 1957, appeared on CBS for the landing ofSurveyor 1 in 1966, and was on NBC forApollo 8,Apollo 10, andApollo 11 in 1968 and 1969.[1] He became the astronomyeditor for theWorld Almanac from 1968 to 1996 and was on the editorial panel ofScience Digest from 1970 to 1985. From 1973 to 1979, Franklin was the Public Affairs Officer for the American Astronomical Society. He taught at several universities and colleges on the American east coast includingNew York University,City University of New York, andCooper Union. He also lectured atColumbia School of Journalism and theUnited States Military Academy and was anadjunct professor atRutgers University for three and a half years. Franklin was part of a visiting lecturer program and in 1973 and 1980, he led tours toAfrica to observesolar eclipses.[1] Franklin contributed almanac information including the time ofsunrise toThe New York Times from 1975 to 1997. He also contributed all of the astronomical calculations for theFarmers' Almanac from 1980 to 1992. These were in addition to his regular duties presenting popular planetarium shows from 1956 to 1984 and producing his own radio program.[1][2]
Anasteroid discovered byEdward L. G. Bowell in 1981 was named2845 Franklinken in Franklin's honor.
Franklin lived inLoveland, Colorado until his death inBoulder from heart surgery complications. He was survived by his wife, three daughters, six grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.[2]
He was a member of the all-male literary banqueting club theTrap Door Spiders, which served as the basis ofIsaac Asimov's fictional group of mystery solvers theBlack Widowers.He was a lifelong friend of Asimov's, & they took several ocean solar eclipse cruises together.After he retired, he & his wife, Charlotte, whom he met at Carnegie where she also worked, traveled the Americas via Airstream.
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