Erika Böhm-Vitense
- January 21, 2017
- 93 years
About Erika Böhm-Vitense
Erika Böhm-Vitense, 93, German-born American astronomer.
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Full Biography
|Erika Helga Ruth Böhm-Vitense (June 3, 1923 – January 21, 2017) was a German-born American astrophysicist known for her work on Cepheid variables and convection in stellar atmospheres.
Early life
Böhm-Vitense was born Erika Helga Ruth Vitense on 3 June 1923 in Kurau, Germany. She was the second of three girls. Her parents, Wilma and Hans Vitense were both teachers. She, along with her sisters, was raised in Lübeck, Germany.
Education
Erika started her undergraduate studies at University of Tübingen in 1943. However, she moved to Kiel University in 1945 in favor of a stronger astronomy department than at her first institution. She completed her undergraduate degree in 1948.
She remained at Kiel for her graduate studies, working with Albrecht Unsöld. Erika successfully defended her thesis Continuous absorption coefficients as a function of pressure and temperature in the Sun in 1951 and received her doctorate degree.
Work and research efforts
After receiving her Ph.D., Erika remained at Kiel as a Research Associate.
Two years after receiving her Ph.D., she published Die Wasserstoffkonvektionszone der Sonne. Mit 11 Textabbildungen which translates to The hydrogen convection zone of the Sun. With 11 text illustrations. This is one of her most famous works as it has been cited 287 times since its publication.
After getting married in 1954, she and her husband visited Lick Observatory and University of California, Berkeley for one year. Upon their return to Kiel, her husband, who was also an astrophysicist, was given a tenure track position, but she was not.
In 1968, they both moved to the University of Washington where she started as Senior Research Associate. She was awarded a full-time professor position in 1971, and became a professor emeritus later on. During her time at the University of Washington, she made fundamental contributions to the understanding of stellar binaries, stellar temperatures, chromospheric activity, rotation, and convection. She also made substantial contributions to the fundamentals of Mixing Length Theory. She continued this work through the rest of her career.
Around 1978, Erika realized that the ultraviolet band of light was the best way to make observations of stellar chromospheres. The International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) launched in January 1978, and she was able to use this data to further her work.
Notable works
Erika has over 300 academic papers on the Harvard Astrophysics Data System, of which she is the first author on more than two-thirds of these publications.
- Die Wasserstoffkonvektionszone der Sonne. Mit 11 Textabbildungen (Zeitschrift für Astrophysik: 1953)
- Introduction to Stellar Astrophysics (Cambridge University Press: 1989) ISBN 0-521-34869-2
Personal life
Erika met her husband, Karl-Heinz Böhm at Kiel, where he was also in astrophysics. They married in 1953 and had four children: Hans, Manfred, Helga, and Eva.
Death
Erika died on 21 January 2017 in Seattle, Washington.
Honors and awards
- Best thesis prize at Kiel University in 1951.
- Annie Jump Cannon Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 1965.
- Elected as Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
- Karl Schwarzschild Medal from the Astronomische Gesellschaft in 2003
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erika_B%C3%B6hm-Vitense
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Erika Böhm-Vitense's archived record and the sources above.
1.In what city was Erika Böhm-Vitense born?
- A.Lübeck
- B.Kuraucorrect
- C.Seattle
- D.Kiel
Erika Böhm-Vitense was born on 3 June 1923 in Kurau, Germany.
Source: Early life section
2.How many sisters did Erika Böhm-Vitense have?
- A.Twocorrect
- B.Three
- C.Four
- D.One
Erika Böhm-Vitense was the second of three girls in her family.
Source: Early life section
3.At which university did Erika Böhm-Vitense begin her undergraduate studies in 1943?
- A.University of Washington
- B.Lick Observatory
- C.University of Tübingencorrect
- D.Kiel University
Erika Böhm-Vitense started her undergraduate studies at the University of Tübingen in 1943.
Source: Education section
4.Who was Erika Böhm-Vitense's doctoral thesis advisor at Kiel University?
- A.Annie Jump Cannon
- B.Albrecht Unsöldcorrect
- C.Hans Vitense
- D.Karl-Heinz Böhm
Erika Böhm-Vitense remained at Kiel for her graduate studies, working with Albrecht Unsöld.
Source: Education section
5.What was the title of the thesis Erika Böhm-Vitense defended in 1951?
- A.Die Wasserstoffkonvektionszone der Sonne
- B.Continuous absorption coefficients as a function of pressure and temperature in the Suncorrect
- C.Introduction to Stellar Astrophysics
- D.The hydrogen convection zone of the Sun
Erika Böhm-Vitense defended her thesis titled Continuous absorption coefficients as a function of pressure and temperature in the Sun in 1951.
Source: Education section
6.When did Erika Böhm-Vitense publish the famous work, The hydrogen convection zone of the Sun?
- A.1948
- B.1951
- C.1953correct
- D.1955
Two years after receiving her Ph.D. in 1951, Erika Böhm-Vitense published The hydrogen convection zone of the Sun.
Source: Work and research efforts section
7.What is the professional relationship between Erika Böhm-Vitense and Karl-Heinz Böhm?
- A.They were student and teacher
- B.They were research rivals
- C.They were siblings
- D.They were marriedcorrect
Erika Böhm-Vitense met her husband, Karl-Heinz Böhm, at Kiel, and they married in 1953.
Source: Personal life section
8.In what year did Erika Böhm-Vitense and her husband move to the University of Washington?
- A.1965
- B.1971
- C.1954
- D.1968correct
In 1968, Erika Böhm-Vitense and her husband both moved to the University of Washington.
Source: Work and research efforts section
9.When was Erika Böhm-Vitense awarded a full-time professor position at the University of Washington?
- A.1968
- B.1971correct
- C.1978
- D.1989
Erika Böhm-Vitense was awarded a full-time professor position at the University of Washington in 1971.
Source: Work and research efforts section
10.Which instrument launched in 1978 did Erika Böhm-Vitense use to study stellar chromospheres?
- A.Lick Observatory Telescope
- B.Hubble Space Telescope
- C.International Ultraviolet Explorercorrect
- D.Harvard Astrophysics Data System
The International Ultraviolet Explorer launched in January 1978, and Erika Böhm-Vitense used this data to further her work.
Source: Work and research efforts section
11.How many children did Erika Böhm-Vitense have?
- A.Fourcorrect
- B.Five
- C.Two
- D.Three
Erika Böhm-Vitense had four children: Hans, Manfred, Helga, and Eva.
Source: Personal life section
12.Which prestigious prize did Erika Böhm-Vitense receive from the American Astronomical Society in 1965?
- A.Karl Schwarzschild Medal
- B.Fellow of the AAAS
- C.Best thesis prize
- D.Annie Jump Cannon Prizecorrect
Erika Böhm-Vitense received the Annie Jump Cannon Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 1965.
Source: Honors and awards section
13.What is the publication date of the book Introduction to Stellar Astrophysics by Erika Böhm-Vitense?
- A.1978
- B.1953
- C.1965
- D.1989correct
Erika Böhm-Vitense published Introduction to Stellar Astrophysics through Cambridge University Press in 1989.
Source: Notable works section
14.What was the year of Erika Böhm-Vitense's death?
- A.2020
- B.2010
- C.2017correct
- D.2003
Erika Böhm-Vitense died on 21 January 2017 in Seattle, Washington.
Source: Death section
15.What was the title of the award Erika Böhm-Vitense received from the Astronomische Gesellschaft in 2003?
- A.Best Thesis Prize
- B.Karl Schwarzschild Medalcorrect
- C.Fellow of the AAAS
- D.International Ultraviolet Award
Erika Böhm-Vitense was awarded the Karl Schwarzschild Medal from the Astronomische Gesellschaft in 2003.
Source: Honors and awards section
16.According to the biography, what proportion of the academic papers listed on the Harvard Astrophysics Data System was Erika Böhm-Vitense the first author of?
- A.Less than a quarter
- B.More than two-thirdscorrect
- C.About ten percent
- D.Exactly half
Erika Böhm-Vitense has over 300 academic papers on the Harvard Astrophysics Data System, with her being the first author on more than two-thirds of them.
Source: Notable works section
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