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astronomy

William Kenneth Hartmann

William Kenneth Hartmann 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 William Kenneth Hartmann rather than just read about it. In short: William Kenneth Hartmann (born June 6, 1939) is an American planetary scientist, artist, author, and writer. He was the first to convince the scientific mainstream that the Earth had once been hit by a planet sized body (Theia), creating both the Moon and the Earth's 23.5° tilt.

William Kenneth Hartmann — main illustration
William Kenneth Hartmann — illustration

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

William Kenneth Hartmann (born June 6, 1939) is an American planetary scientist, artist, author, and writer. He was the first to convince the scientific mainstream that the Earth had once been hit by a planet sized body (Theia), creating both the Moon and the Earth's 23.5° tilt.

Early life and education Hartmann was born in Pennsylvania in 1939. He was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree (B.S.) in physics from Pennsylvania State University, and both a Master of Science degree (M.S.) in geology and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in astronomy from the University of Arizona.

Career Hartmann's career spans over 40 years, from work in the early 1960s with Gerard Kuiper on Mare Orientale, and work on the Mariner 9 Mars mapping project, to work on the Mars Global Surveyor imaging team. He is currently a senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute. He has long been one of America's leading space artists (strongly influenced by Chesley Bonestell), and has written and illustrated numerous books on the history of Earth and the Solar System, often in collaboration with artist Ron Miller. Hartmann is a Fellow of the International Association of Astronomical Artists. His written work also includes textbooks, short fiction, and novels, the most recent being published in 2003. In 1997 he was the first recipient of the Carl Sagan Medal for Excellence in Public Communication in Planetary Science from the American Astronomical Society, Division for Planetary Sciences. Hartmann was a member of the 1966–1968 University of Colorado UFO Project (informally known as the Condon Committee), a controversial public study of UFOs sponsored by the U.S. Air Force. He primarily investigated photographic evidence, and rejected most as unreliable or inconclusive; in his studies published in the committee's final report, he concluded two cases - Great Falls (motion pictures of two bright light sources difficult to reconcile with known aircraft) and McMinnville (two photographs of a saucer-shaped craft) - were unexplained and particularly noteworthy as probative evidence of the reality of UFOs. Asteroid 3341 Hartmann is named after him.

Bibliography Out of the Cradle: Exploring the Frontiers beyond Earth, with Ron Miller and Pamela Lee (1984) The History of Earth: An illustrated chronicle of an evolving planet, with Ron Miller (1991) Mars Underground, (1999) Tor Science Fiction, ISBN 978-0-8125-8039-6 The Grand Tour: A Traveler's Guide to the Solar System, with Ron Miller (1st edition 1981, 2nd edition 1993, 3rd edition 2005) A Traveler's Guide to Mars: The Mysterious Landscapes of the Red Planet, (2003) Workman Pub Co, ISBN 978-0-7611-2606-5

See also Giant impact hypothesis Viktor Safronov

References

External links William K. Hartmann at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database William Hartmann at IMDb Dr. William Hartmann's profile at the Planetary Science Institute "Astronomer-painter-writer regularly covers a lot of space", profile at Arizona Daily Star, Oct 4, 2010

Illustrations

William Kenneth Hartmann illustration

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with William Kenneth Hartmann

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what William Kenneth Hartmann 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 William Kenneth Hartmann 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 William Kenneth Hartmann 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 William Kenneth Hartmann

In research
William Kenneth Hartmann 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 William Kenneth Hartmann 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
William Kenneth Hartmann is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1939 births, 20th-century American astronomers, 20th-century American male artists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for William Kenneth Hartmann 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.

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How to study William Kenneth Hartmann in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what William Kenneth Hartmann means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain William Kenneth Hartmann out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is William Kenneth Hartmann in simple terms?

William Kenneth Hartmann (born June 6, 1939) is an American planetary scientist, artist, author, and writer. He was the first to convince the scientific mainstream that the Earth had once been hit by a planet sized body (Theia), creating both the Moon and the Earth's 23.5° tilt.

Why does William Kenneth Hartmann 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 William Kenneth Hartmann?

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 William Kenneth Hartmann.

Tags

  • 1939 births
  • 20th-century American astronomers
  • 20th-century American male artists
  • 20th-century American male novelists
  • 20th-century American novelists
  • 20th-century American science writers
  • 20th-century American short story writers
  • 21st-century American astronomers
  • 21st-century American male writers
  • 21st-century American non-fiction writers
  • 21st-century short story writers
  • American UFO writers

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