Astronomer and Williams College professor Jay Pasachoff died of lung cancer at the age of 79 on Sunday in his Williamstown, Massachusetts home. Pasachoff was known around the world for his expertise and passion for solar eclipses. Born in New York City in 1943, he held three degrees from Harvard and started teaching at Williams in 1972. Anne Jaskot is an assistant professor of astronomy at Williams College. She spoke with WAMC about Pasachoff’s life and legacy:
JASKOT: So actually, my first interaction with Professor Pasachoff came before I met him in person, but when I was a high school student taking an introductory astronomy course and we used his textbook. And so that was- He essentially gave me my introduction to the whole field of astronomy, even though I didn't know him at the time. It was a captivating introduction to astronomy- Understandable, and he even threw in bits of humor in there as well that I still remember. And I enjoyed it so much that it made me think that astronomy was something I could see myself doing as a career. Then I ended up coming to Williams College as a student, and there, I didn't have Professor Pasachoff as an instructor in the classroom, but I did get to go with him on an observing trip to a professional observatory. He was always really great at looking for opportunities to get students involved in real life astronomical research, and always had groups of students coming with him on all of his eclipse trips and trips to telescopes. And so that's where I first interacted with him in person.
Now, how would you describe his character? What was he like to spend time with?
He was very generous with his time, always looking out for students, trying to promote their careers and their success. He cared deeply about all his students, and he was very enthusiastic about the field of astronomy as a whole. He always knew every article that had been written recently about astronomical news, always wanted to talk about that and share his knowledge with students and with the public. He was a very enthusiastic advocate for science.
Now, much has been made to his contribution to science in the world of solar eclipses. Can you speak to the layperson who might not really understand what astronomers do or the role Mr. Pasachoff played in that world, what exactly he was known for, and what distinguished his contributions in that field?
So, I personally am not a solar astronomer. So, I don't know in detail what his influence was within that particular field of astronomy. I do know what he used the eclipses for. So, he used the eclipse in order to understand one of the outer layers of the sun. The outermost layer of the sun is called the corona, and we can study the outer corona with space telescopes. But to get a view of the inner corona, you really can only see that during a total solar eclipse. So, he would- He dedicated his career to traveling the world in order to see this inner corona when it became visible, and he and his students would have numerous telescopes set up ready to catch that moment and take images of the inner solar corona, understand the solar activity and the sun's magnetic fields, and how that was influencing the shape of the corona that we were seeing.
As far as acknowledging his loss from the scientific community, what does this mean for that world to not have his presence in it?
I think one of the most visible places where his loss will be felt will be in public communication. He was always very active in engaging the public in astronomy and in talking about it in interviews with the media and writing introductory textbooks and in articles and books on stargazing for the public. And that kind of enthusiasm and desire to educate both his students and the general public is something that- I think the whole community will feel that loss.
