astronomy

Tom Boles

Tom Boles 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 Tom Boles rather than just read about it. In short: Thomas Boles (born 1944 in Lennoxtown in Scotland) is a Scottish amateur astronomer, discoverer of astronomical objects, author, broadcaster and former communications and computer engineer, who observes from his private "Coddenham Observatory" (234) in Coddenham, Suffolk, United Kingdom. He is known for having discovered a record number of supernovae.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Thomas Boles (born 1944 in Lennoxtown in Scotland) is a Scottish amateur astronomer, discoverer of astronomical objects, author, broadcaster and former communications and computer engineer, who observes from his private "Coddenham Observatory" (234) in Coddenham, Suffolk, United Kingdom. He is known for having discovered a record number of supernovae. The main-belt asteroid 7648 Tomboles is named in his honor. He was President of the British Astronomical Association from 2003 to 2005 and Vice President from 2005 to 2007. He is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and an Examinations Moderator in astronomy with the International Baccalaureate. At the International Astronomical Union, he was a member of Division VIII Galaxies & the Universe and "Commission 28" until 2012 and 2015, respectively, and is a member of IAU's division C and J (Education, Outreach and Heritage; Galaxies and Cosmology). Boles has co-authored three text books on popular astronomy and has published numerous articles in Astronomy Now, Sky and Telescope; the Austrian The Star Observer, the Journal of the British Astronomical Association, and in the journal The Astronomer. In 2007 he co-authored a research paper about a "giant outburst two years before the core-collapse of a massive star" in the journal Nature. Boles holds a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from the Open University. He held director level appointments over a period of 18 years with four multinational computer companies. He retired in 2001 to dedicate himself to astronomy work and to help with the public Outreach of astronomy.

Discoveries

He holds the record of spotting the most supernovae by one person: 149 supernovae. As of 2003, Boles and Mark Armstrong are the "most successful exploding star hunters in history." He broke the record after discovering his 124th supernova '2009ij', followed by supernova number 125 '2009io' a few nights later. The previous record holder was Swiss astronomer Fritz Zwicky, who discovered 123 supernovae before his death in 1974. The record was unbroken for 36 years. Boles has also discovered a nova in the Andromeda Galaxy and 84417 Ritabo, an asteroid in the middle region of the main-belt, which he named after his wife Rita Boles.

Awards In 2008 he was awarded the Merlin Medal by the British Astronomical Association in recognition of his contribution to the advancement of astronomy. In 2008 the inner main-belt asteroid 7648 Tomboles, discovered by Japanese astronomers Yoshikane Mizuno and Toshimasa Furuta, was named after him in recognition of his contribution to astronomy. He received the George Alcock Award from The Astronomer Magazine. Boles presented the Inaugural Thomas Tannahill Memorial lecture in 2009 at the request of the Astronomical Society of Glasgow. He received the Walter Goodacre Medal and Gift from the British Astronomical Association in 2015.

Public outreach Boles has co-authored three text books on popular astronomy:

2008 Yearbook of Astronomy, edited by Sir Patrick Moore – (Pan Macmillan) More Small Astronomical Observatories, edited by Sir Patrick Moore – (Springer Science+Business Media) The Science and Art of CDD Astronomy, edited Ratledge – (Springer Science+Business Media) Boles's Television broadcasts include: Co-presenting BBC Tomorrow's World and guest appearances on several BBC programmes such as The Sky at Night, Final Frontiers, All Night Star Party (from Jodrell Bank); BBC Astronomers and ITV Vera Productions. Radio Broadcasts include Radio 2, Suffolk Radio, BBC Essex, Radio Northampton, Three Counties Radio, Radio Scotland, World Radio (Netherlands) and BBC Citizen Science. In his later years, (2021-2022) Boles has also written three thrillers, recounting the adventures of Cambridge astronomer Brad Willis, who also moonlight for MI6 in cases where his scientific knowledge is needed.

Dark Energy Shades of White Murder by Limo

See also Discoverers of minor planets § T. Boles History of supernova observation § Telescope observation Supernova § Naming convention

References

External links Q&A with Tom Boles, in Astronomy & Geophysics, Volume 54, Issue 6, Pp. 6.9, 6 December 2013 Coddenham Astronomical Observatory, Tom Boles' robotic observatory arXiv.org Search Results for Tom Boles A giant outburst two years before the core-collapse of a massive star

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Tom Boles

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Tom Boles 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 Tom Boles 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 Tom Boles 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 Tom Boles

In research: Tom Boles 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 Tom Boles 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: Tom Boles is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1944 births, 20th-century British astronomers, 21st-century British astronomers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Tom Boles 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 “Tom Boles” →

Affiliate

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

How to study Tom Boles in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Tom Boles 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 Tom Boles out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tom Boles in simple terms?

Why does Tom Boles 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 Tom Boles?

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 Tom Boles.