Born in northern Holland, Bart Jan Bok received his Ph.D. from the University of Groningen. His poor performance on a Boy Scout examination covering the stellar constellations kindled a lifelong interest in astronomy.
Prior to World War II, Bok emigrated to the United States, becoming a citizen in 1938. For nearly 30 years he served on the faculty at Harvard University, where he taught astronomy and directed the Harvard Observatory. From 1966 to 1974, Bok was professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona.
Bok is most widely known for the discovery of Bok globules, or small patches of dust that might be the sites of star and planet formation. In his later life, Bok developed astronomical enterprises in Australia and in Arizona.
Bol died in 1983.
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