Knut Jørgen Røed Ødegaard (born 6 May 1966) is a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, g ...

formerly employed as a media contact at the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

's Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics. He was the leader of the

Norwegian Astronomical Society Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

(2005–2008), and is also manager of the

Harestua Solar Observatory Harestua Solar Observatory ( no, Solobservatoriet på Harestua) is a solar observatory near Harestua in the municipality of Lunner, Oppland, Norway. It was used for solar research purposes from 1954 to 1986, and was subordinated the University ...

. His enthusiasm for

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

has made him a popular interview object in Norwegian media for events such as the 2004 Transit of Venus and the 2005 landing of the

Huygens probe ''Huygens'' ( ) was an atmospheric entry robotic space probe that landed successfully on Saturn's moon Titan in 2005. Built and operated by the European Space Agency (ESA), launched by NASA, it was part of the ''Cassini–Huygens'' mission and ...

on Titan, and for astronomy in general towards the general population.

References

* 1966 births Living people 20th-century astronomers 21st-century astronomers Norwegian astrophysicists Norwegian science writers Academic staff of the University of Oslo People from Oppland {{Norway-scientist-stub