Thread: Bill Wheaton

I am a physicist currently working at Caltech in space astronomy. I started on this career path in 1952 when I was ten, and the famous Colliers magazine series of articles on space travel appeared. I did my graduate work at UCSD, and have been at JPL and Caltech since 1979. I taught math and science to refugees in (then) Tanganyika in 1962-1963. I worked with Oreste Piccioni at UCSD in experimental elementary particle physics for several years before switching to X-ray astronomy, where I did my thesis on OSO 7 satellite data. I have since worked on HEAO 1 (A4), HEAO 3 (C1), CGRO, and later in the infrared, on 2MASS and the Spitzer Space Telescope.

My page at Caltech is Bill Wheaton's Home Page, and I also have a personal page at Wm. A. Wheaton -- Welcome, which tell more about me.

Probably my motto should be "OWBSID", meaning "Often Wrong, But Seldom In Doubt".

You were born in 1942 and i was born in 1932. You were 10 in 52 and I was 20, just graduated from Boston College with a BS in Physics (Cum Laude). I stayed at BC for a masters in physics but I didn't get my PhD Until 1965 at Boston University. Dissertation was on the Electronic states of two isoelectronic diatomic Molecules: C2 and BN. More on me later.

Great to have you both on board! Cant wait to see some of your post in the main forums.

Hi Bill,
It's a real pleasure to have you in this forum. Can you tell us what are the lastest exciting developments in gamma ray astronomy?
Also, how do you see the career opportunities for young astrophysicists nowadays?
My son is an astronomy grad studnt at the University of Hawaii and he is working with some data from the Akari program.
Warren Chu

Bill, you wouldn't happen to be Wil Wheaton from Star Trek would you? I'm not really a treky I've just seen you on reddit and a couple of other places if it does happen to be you. I have no idea how old he is or anything about him other than he is a bit of a cult hero. I have no credentials other than a wikipedia addiction and a thirst for interesting stimulating conversation on deep matters, I'm new here and was just curious. Welcome!