SAN RAFAEL, Calif., March 1, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- It begins in 1930 during his first visual contact with Commander Richard Byrd and Eagle Scout Paul Siple in a ticker-tape parade honoring their return from their first trip to Antarctica. It ends in 1994 during his final observing campaign at South Pole Station and the dedication of an observatory in his honor. Now, Martin A. Pomerantz, accomplished physicist and astronomer, is ready to tell his story in his engaging new book Astronomy on Ice, published under the auspices of The American Polar Society
Astronomy on Ice chronicles how Martin Pomerantz established the South Pole as one of the world's premier sites for astrophysical research. Following a combination of propitious events and personal choices, Dr. Pomerantz set out to arouse interest within the astronomical community in the unique scientific resource available at the pole. Despite the initially cool reception of his idea, Pomerantz spearheaded a succession of pivotal projects at the U.S. Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Starting with the first observations of the solar interior, and extending through and beyond our galaxy to the beginnings of structure after the Big Bang, Dr. Pomerantz inaugurated studies that are still being carried on and are essential for understanding how our Universe evolved. After initially bootlegged tests, these pioneering projects were ultimately rewarded with the dedication of the Martin A. Pomerantz Observatory during his twenty-sixth trip to the pole.
Astronomy on Ice records and shares with others a unique experience while increasing public awareness and pride in the United States Antarctic Program. From Dr. Pomerantz's first taste of physics to his last trip to the South Pole, this book presents, at a level aimed at an educated public, the scientific research the author carried out over fifty years, concentrating on his efforts to arouse interest within the astronomical community in the unique scientific resource offered by this unlikely site.
About the Author
Physicist and astronomer Martin A. Pomerantz is director and president emeritus of the Bartol Research Foundation of the Franklin Institute, his scientific home for more than half of the twentieth century. Leader of many cosmic-ray expeditions, especially to both the north and south polar regions, Dr. Pomerantz has received numerous honors for his pioneering astrophysical research at the South Pole, where he spent twenty-six austral summers. Dr. Pomerantz has served on national and international boards on space science, geophysics, and polar research, and was chairman of the U.S. Committee for the International Years of the Quiet Sun, 1964 to 1965. He lives in San Rafael, California.
Astronomy On Ice -- By Martin A. Pomerantz
Publication Date: December 22, 2004
Trade Paperback; $21.99; 289 pages; 1-4134-6860-8
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