MICHAEL ZEILIK
Michael, born in Bridgeport CT to Michael and Margaret Zeilik on September 26, 1946, passed from this life on June 3, 2022. He was raised in Stratford CT, surrounded by family and excelled in academics, baseball and track. He had a passion for astronomy from a young age, convincing his father to build him a telescope.
Michael attended Princeton University receiving the Woodrow Wilson and National Science Fellowships, and graduated with honors in 1968. He taught astronomy at Southern Connecticut University while completing his Doctorates in Astrophysics. After receiving his PhD from Harvard in 1975, he moved to Albuquerque, where he became a Professor of Physics and Astronomy at UNM, retiring in 2004.
Michael had a passion for teaching and writing excelling at both. He received numerous accolades for his work and was a frequent conference speaker on teaching science. Michael wrote over 40 published works in 234 publications in 4 languages. In addition to numerous scientific journal publications, Michael authored three Astronomy text books: Evolving Universe, Conceptual Astronomy, and Introduction to Astronomy & Astrophysics. At one time, he was the bestselling astronomy text book author in the world.
Upon retirement from UNM, Michael pursued his passion for creating and producing movies. Credits include: Surviving Cupids Arrow (2008) - Director, Writer and Producer; Psyche Ascending (2009) – Writer and Producer; El Salón México (2009) – Executive Producer; Fool's Gold (2008) – First Assistant Camera; and the upcoming Man of Many Colors – Producer.
Michael is survived by his two sons, Zack and Jeremy Zeilik. He loved his sons and was proud of their accomplishments and sense of adventure in the world. Michael is preceded in death by his parents Michael and Margaret Zeilik and his sister Pam (Zeilik) Lobel.
A Memorial Service will be held on July 7, 2022 at 2 pm at the United Church of Santa Fe (1804 Arroyo Chamiso Rd, Santa Fe). In lieu of flowers, please give to your favorite charity.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Santa Fe New Mexican from Jul. 1 to Jul. 6, 2022.

Memories and Condolences
for MICHAEL ZEILIK

8 Entries

Paul Bolner

July 10, 2024

I was a student at the University of New Mexico in 1975-1977 and was fortunate to be in his astronomy class and his enthusiasm was contagious, I never forgot this Professor! Rest in peace!

Vicki Savastio

June 29, 2024

Sorry to have read this. I was one of the lucky students to have had for the astronomy section of my earth science requirement. He inspired a fanatical interest in astronomy to the point where I sought out a career at Perkin-Elmer in Danbury CT where the Hubble Telescope was built. I have been there for almost 40 years. Mike was the best teacher of my life. He was only 23 years old and dated a friend of mine named Sharon. He was an early teacher also of what was then called"the greenhouse effect", now of course is known as global warming. That was 1970, the year of the first Earth Day, which we celebrated on campus. I´ll never forget him.

William R. Winkler

August 23, 2023

I just learned of Mikes passing. He was a boyhood friend in high school
and we shared the astronomy hobby. Fond memories live on.

Eric R. Nelson

July 3, 2023

I just learned about Mike´s passing today. Mike was my graduate advisor in the latter half of the 1980s. it is because of his guidance that I managed to successfully navigate the program at UNM. Michael also taught me how to teach astronomy. I´m still using his material and techniques to this day. He will be missed.

Paul Heckert

May 4, 2023

I just learned about Mike´s passing, and was very saddened when I found out. My condolences to Kim and sons.
When I was a first year graduate student at UNM, he came for his interview. After listening to his talk, I decided that this guy is good and I hope they hire him. They fortunately did. I watched the mail pile up in his faculty mailbox all summer. When it was picked up, I went and found his office. I took a big gamble saying I want to work for you. It was one of the smartest professional moves I ever made. By that spring I got my first trip to Kitt Peak. He instantly hooked me on observational astronomy.
I learned so much from Mike about astronomy, about teaching astronomy, and about how to treat students. He was an excellent mentor to whom I owe much of my career. Most of the teaching methods I used, Mike taught me when I was his TA.
His passing is a great loss.

David Lauer

July 15, 2022

I want to thank Michael for being such a wonderful, enthusiastic professor with whom I had the privilege to study introductory Astronomy in 1976. He cared about me as a student. Thank you, Michael.

Linda and Stephen Bayliss

July 7, 2022

We are so sorry for your loss and saddened to learn of Mike's passing. He was kind, patient, and a great teacher and mentor. He was also one of the very few professors who requested that we call him by his first name, which made us feel very comfortable.

My most memorable experience (Linda) was when he brought me along on an observing trip to Kitt Peak. What made it so memorable was that he had me climb a ladder, reach over, and remove the lens cover from the telescope! All that I could think of was that I had better not fall into the tube; I was not worried for my safety, but I sure did not want to break the mirror! He made me proud of the work that we performed there to locate and and study Algol... this was long before the software was developed that allows you to just push buttons to locate celestial objects!

We know that all of his hard work will live on in the literature and that he will be greatly missed.

Timothy Banks

July 4, 2022

I'm very sorry to hear about Mike's passing. He was a gentleman and a scholar.

During the eighties and early nineties, part of his research looked into active solar-like stars which were spinning many times faster than the Sun. This leads to strong magnetic activity, causing gigantic "star spots" or areas that appeared comparatively darker compared to the rest of the star. As these spots rotate into the view, the "spotted star" dims a little. Carefully modelling these changes led to a very successful series of publications showing how these spots changed with times, with implications for our understanding of the Sun. Mike led a very successful research programme which included collaboration with New Zealand astronomers --- including me as a then young student. He was an inspiring teacher and astronomer, giving me well-appreciated advice on topics such as how to write my thesis ("make sure it has a punch and is to the point! Less is often more!"), all with a zest for life and a lovely sense of humour. I still remember his "sales pitch" when he was asking me to consider UNM for later study, which included not only the qualities of the programme but also key scenery and attributes of New Mexico and life there!

The world was a smaller place in the 1980s, Mike's engagement with New Zealand astronomy helped make it a little bigger and one with wider opportunities for those of us growing up on the edge of the world. He made a difference. Indeed one of his public talks at a national amateur astronomy conferences is still talked about today as one of the most inspiring presentations ever at those annual events, decades on.

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