He co-discovered radio emission from Jupiter, and was part of the team that discovered the first Einstein ring in 1988.

Burke became a faculty member of the Physics department at MIT and later was the William A. M. Burden Professor of Astrophysics, Emeritus.

[1][3] He was a principal investigator of the Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research at MIT.

He was also a member of Planetary Systems Working Group and the Towards Other Planetary Systems Scientific Working Group, and he was on advisory councils and committees for the National Research Council, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Science Board, the Keck Telescope, the Naval Studies Board and the Space Science Board.

[4][5] Burke and Kenneth Franklin discovered Decametric radio emissions from Jupiter in 1955[4] using the Mills Cross Array, while they were trying to observe the Crab Nebula.