Philip Childs Keenan

Philip C. Keenan (born 31 March 1908 in Bellevue, Pennsylvania, † April 20, 2000 in Columbus, Ohio ) was an American astronomer.

Philip C. Keenan received in the years 1929 and 1930, his bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of Arizona. He then moved to the University of Chicago, where he became a PhD in 1932 under Otto Struve and Christian T. Elvey ( 1899-1970 ) to work on Astrophysical Study of the Solar Chromosphere ( An astrophysical study of the solar chromosphere ). He taught there until 1942 and then joined the Navy Bureau of Ordnance in.

In 1946 he became an assistant professor at Ohio State University in Columbus and staff at Perkins Observatory, Ohio State and Ohio Wesleyan University. He remained there until his retirement in 1976, there was in addition a further 24 years as a professor emeritus until his death scientifically active. His last work was published in the Astrophysical Journal in 1999.

That in the years 1939 to 1943 by William Wilson Morgan and Keenan developed and named after them MK- system is still the most widely used system in the spectral classification. Furthermore, Keenan dealt particularly with stellar evolution and cooler stars with complex spectra.

On 5 July 2001 the asteroid ( 10030 ) Philkeenan was named after him.