Ian Keith Shelton | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1957-03-30)30 March 1957 (age 68) |
| Alma mater | University of Manitoba |
| Occupation | Astronomer |
| Known for | Discovering Supernova SN 1987A |
| Spouse | Tuba Koktay (married 1996) |
Ian Keith Shelton (born 30 March 1957) is aCanadianastronomer who discoveredSN 1987A, the first modern supernova close and bright enough to be visible to the naked eye.
Born inWinnipeg,Manitoba, Canada, Shelton received his B.Sc. in 1979 from theUniversity of Manitoba and in 1981 began his professional career working as Resident Astronomer at theUniversity of Toronto Southern Observatory atLas Campanas,Chile.
On 1987 February 24, at 02:40, Shelton, while working inChile atLas Campanas Observatory for theUniversity of Toronto, discovered a previously undetected bright light on a photograph of theLarge Magellanic Cloud. Initially skeptical, Shelton went outside to look with the naked eye, and saw that the bright light was indeed present. His discovery turned out to be a supernova, the first visible to the naked eye sinceJohannes Kepler observedSN 1604 nearly 383 years prior.[1]
Other astronomers around the world also soon noticed the bright new object. As Shelton was among the first to report, he is credited as the discoverer, along with Oscar Duhalde andAlbert Jones.[2]
Shelton became a graduate student at the University of Toronto in the fall of 1987. He received his M.Sc. in 1990 and PhD in 1996. He has since worked as an astronomer at several observatories: Japan's 8.3-metreSubaru Telescope inHawaii, the 1.9-metreDavid Dunlap Observatory inToronto,Athabasca University north ofEdmonton, and the 6.5-metreMMT Observatory south ofTucson.[1] He has also been a professor in the physics department ofMount Allison University.[1]
He is married to Turkish-born astronomer Tuba Koktay[3] and they reside with their daughter Victoria Büse Shelton inToronto, Ontario, where he teaches atToronto Metropolitan University.
It is a pleasure to announce the marriage of Ian Shelton and Tuba Koktay....on December 20th, 1996.