astronomy

Tim Hunter (astronomer)

Tim Hunter (astronomer) is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Tim Hunter (astronomer) rather than just read about it. In short: Timothy B. Hunter, better known as Tim Hunter, is an American radiologist and amateur astronomer, who was the president of the International Dark-Sky Association.

Key takeaways

Tim Hunter (astronomer) belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Tim Hunter (astronomer) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Tim Hunter (astronomer) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Timothy B. Hunter, better known as Tim Hunter, is an American radiologist and amateur astronomer, who was the president of the International Dark-Sky Association.

Education and profession Hunter received his M.D. degree from Northwestern University in 1968. He teaches as a professor of radiology and orthopaedic surgery at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. He also earned a B.S. degree in mathematics from the University of Arizona in 1980 and M.S. in astronomy from Swinburne University of Technology in 2006.

Astronomy Since 1986, Hunter has studied the problem of increasing light pollution. In 1987, together with David Crawford, he founded the International Dark-Sky Association, which has grown to more than 10,000 members in 75 countries (as of 2007). His effort in this field brought him the Presidential Award of the Astronomical League in 2004 and the Amateur Achievement Award of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific in 2005. He is also a member of the Planetary Science Institute Board of Trustees and a past chairman of the Western Region of the Astronomical League.

Asteroid Asteroid 6398 Timhunter, discovered by Carolyn Shoemaker at Palomar Observatory in 1991, was named in his honor. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 1 June 1996 (M.P.C. 27330).

References 2005 ASP Annual Award Winners: Tim Hunter University of Arizona - msk biographical sketches Planetary Science Institute Board of Trustees The Grasslands observatory 6398 Timhunter at JPL Small-Body Database Browser

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Tim Hunter (astronomer)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Tim Hunter (astronomer) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Tim Hunter (astronomer) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Tim Hunter (astronomer) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Tim Hunter (astronomer)

In research: Tim Hunter (astronomer) appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Tim Hunter (astronomer) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Tim Hunter (astronomer) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 20th-century American astronomers, 21st-century American astronomers, Amateur astronomers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Tim Hunter (astronomer) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Tim Hunter (astronomer)” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Tim Hunter (astronomer) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Tim Hunter (astronomer) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Tim Hunter (astronomer) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tim Hunter (astronomer) in simple terms?

Timothy B. Hunter, better known as Tim Hunter, is an American radiologist and amateur astronomer, who was the president of the International Dark-Sky Association.

Why does Tim Hunter (astronomer) matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Tim Hunter (astronomer)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Tim Hunter (astronomer).