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Lyman Spitzer

January 20, 2023

Lyman Spitzer Jr. (June 26, 1914 – March 31, 1997)[2] was an American theoretical physicist, astronomer and mountaineer. As a scientist, he carried out research into star formation, plasma physics, and in 1946, conceived the idea of telescopes operating in outer space.[3] Spitzer invented the stellarator plasma device[4] and is the namesake of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. As a mountaineer, he made the first ascent of Mount Thor, with Donald C. Morton.[5]

Lyman Spitzer
Born
Lyman Spitzer Jr.

(1914-06-26)June 26, 1914
Toledo, Ohio, United States
DiedMarch 31, 1997(1997-03-31) (aged 82)[1]
Princeton, New Jersey, US
Alma materPrinceton University (Ph.D.)
Yale University (B.A.)
Phillips Academy
Known forResearch in star formation and plasma physics
Promotion of space telescopes
SpouseDoreen Canaday (1940)
AwardsHenry Draper Medal (1974)
National Medal of Science (1979)
Crafoord Prize (1985)
Scientific career
FieldsTheoretical physics
Doctoral advisorHenry Norris Russell
Doctoral studentsJohn Richard Gott
Bruce Elmegreen
George B. Field
J. Beverley Oke
Trinh Xuan Thuan

Early life and education

Spitzer was born to a Presbyterian family in Toledo, Ohio, the son of Lyman Spitzer Sr. and Blanche Carey (née Brumback). Through his paternal grandmother, he was related to inventor Eli Whitney.[6] Spitzer graduated from Scott High School. He then attended Phillips Academy in 1929 and went on to Yale College, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1935 and was a member of Skull and Bones. During a year of study at Cambridge University, he was influenced by Arthur Eddington and the young Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar. Returning to the U.S., Spitzer received his Ph.D. in physics from Princeton University in 1938 after completing a doctoral dissertation, titled "The spectra of late supergiant stars", under the direction of Henry Norris Russell.[7][8][9]

Mountaineering

In 1965, Spitzer and Donald Morton became the first to climb Mount Thor 1,675 m (5,495 ft), located in Auyuittuq National Park, on Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada.[2]: 347  As a member of the American Alpine Club, Spitzer established the "Lyman Spitzer Cutting Edge Climbing Award" (Now called the "Cutting Edge Grant") which gives $12,000 to several mountain climbing expeditions annually.[10]

Science

Spitzer's brief time as a faculty member at Yale was interrupted by his wartime work on the development of sonar. In 1947, at the age of 33, he succeeded Russell as director of Princeton University Observatory, an institution that, virtually jointly with his contemporary and friend Martin Schwarzschild, he continued to head until 1979.

Spitzer's research centered on the interstellar medium, to which he brought a deep understanding of plasma physics. In the 1930s and 1940s, he was among the first to recognize star formation as an ongoing contemporary process. His monographs, "Diffuse Matter in Space" (1968) and "Physical Processes in the Interstellar Medium" (1978) consolidated decades of work, and themselves became the standard texts for some decades more.

Spitzer was the founding director of Project Matterhorn, Princeton University's pioneering program in controlled thermonuclear research, renamed in 1961 as Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. He was an early proponent of space optical astronomy in general, and in particular of the project that became Hubble Space Telescope.

In 1981, Spitzer became a founding member of the World Cultural Council.[11]

Death

Spitzer died suddenly on March 31, 1997, after completing a regular day of work at Princeton University. He was buried at Princeton Cemetery and was survived by wife Doreen Canaday Spitzer, four children, and ten grandchildren. Among Spitzer's four children is neurobiologist Nicholas C. Spitzer, who is currently the professor and vice chair in neurobiology at UC San Diego.

Honors

Awards

Named after him

References

  1. ^ Saxon, Wolfgang (2 April 1997). "Lyman Spitzer Jr. Dies at 82; Inspired Hubble Telescope". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  2. ^ a b Ostriker, J. P. (2007). "Lyman Spitzer. 26 June 1914 -- 31 March 1997: Elected ForMemRS 1990". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. 53: 339–348. doi:10.1098/rsbm.2007.0020.: 339 
  3. ^ "Hubble Essentials: About Lyman Spitzer Jr". Hubble Site.
  4. ^ Lyman Spitzer Jr. (1958). "The Stellarator Concept". The Physics of Fluids. 1 (4): 253. Bibcode:1958PhFl....1..253S. doi:10.1063/1.1705883. S2CID 11748652.
  5. ^ O'Connor, John J.; Robertson, Edmund F., "Lyman Spitzer", MacTutor History of Mathematics archive, University of St Andrews
  6. ^ Ancestry of Gov. Bill Richardson
  7. ^ Current Biography Yearbook. H.W. Wilson. 1960. pp. 395–96.
  8. ^ "Professor of Astronomy Lyman Spitzer Jr. Dies". Communications and Publications, Stanhope Hall, Princeton U. April 1, 1997.
  9. ^ Spitzer, Lyman (1938). The spectra of late supergiant stars.
  10. ^ Lyman Spitzer Cutting Edge Climbing Award
  11. ^ "About Us". World Cultural Council. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  12. ^ "APS Fellow archive". APS. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  13. ^ "Lyman Spitzer, cons_suffix". www.nasonline.org. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  14. ^ "Book of Members, 1780-2010: Chapter S" (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  15. ^ . American Astronomical Society. Archived from the original on 22 December 2010. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
  16. ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  17. ^ . Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
  18. ^ . Royal Astronomical Society. Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
  19. ^ "Landau-Spitzer Award".

External links

  • NASA biography
  • Oral history interview transcript with Lyman Spitzer on 8 April 1977, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library and Archives
  • Oral History interview transcript with Lyman Spitzer on 15 March 1978, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library and Archives
  • Oral history interview transcript with Lyman Spitzer on 10 May 1978, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library and Archives
  • Oral History interview transcript with Lyman Spitzer on 27 November 1991, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library and Archives
  • Biographical Memoirs, National Academy of Sciences

January 20, 2023
lyman, spitzer, june, 1914, march, 1997, american, theoretical, physicist, astronomer, mountaineer, scientist, carried, research, into, star, formation, plasma, physics, 1946, conceived, idea, telescopes, operating, outer, space, spitzer, invented, stellarator. Lyman Spitzer Jr June 26 1914 March 31 1997 2 was an American theoretical physicist astronomer and mountaineer As a scientist he carried out research into star formation plasma physics and in 1946 conceived the idea of telescopes operating in outer space 3 Spitzer invented the stellarator plasma device 4 and is the namesake of NASA s Spitzer Space Telescope As a mountaineer he made the first ascent of Mount Thor with Donald C Morton 5 Lyman SpitzerBornLyman Spitzer Jr 1914 06 26 June 26 1914Toledo Ohio United StatesDiedMarch 31 1997 1997 03 31 aged 82 1 Princeton New Jersey USAlma materPrinceton University Ph D Yale University B A Phillips AcademyKnown forResearch in star formation and plasma physics Promotion of space telescopesSpouseDoreen Canaday 1940 AwardsHenry Draper Medal 1974 National Medal of Science 1979 Crafoord Prize 1985 Scientific careerFieldsTheoretical physicsDoctoral advisorHenry Norris RussellDoctoral studentsJohn Richard GottBruce ElmegreenGeorge B FieldJ Beverley OkeTrinh Xuan Thuan Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Mountaineering 3 Science 4 Death 5 Honors 6 References 7 External linksEarly life and education EditSpitzer was born to a Presbyterian family in Toledo Ohio the son of Lyman Spitzer Sr and Blanche Carey nee Brumback Through his paternal grandmother he was related to inventor Eli Whitney 6 Spitzer graduated from Scott High School He then attended Phillips Academy in 1929 and went on to Yale College where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1935 and was a member of Skull and Bones During a year of study at Cambridge University he was influenced by Arthur Eddington and the young Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar Returning to the U S Spitzer received his Ph D in physics from Princeton University in 1938 after completing a doctoral dissertation titled The spectra of late supergiant stars under the direction of Henry Norris Russell 7 8 9 Mountaineering EditIn 1965 Spitzer and Donald Morton became the first to climb Mount Thor 1 675 m 5 495 ft located in Auyuittuq National Park on Baffin Island Nunavut Canada 2 347 As a member of the American Alpine Club Spitzer established the Lyman Spitzer Cutting Edge Climbing Award Now called the Cutting Edge Grant which gives 12 000 to several mountain climbing expeditions annually 10 Science EditSpitzer s brief time as a faculty member at Yale was interrupted by his wartime work on the development of sonar In 1947 at the age of 33 he succeeded Russell as director of Princeton University Observatory an institution that virtually jointly with his contemporary and friend Martin Schwarzschild he continued to head until 1979 Spitzer s research centered on the interstellar medium to which he brought a deep understanding of plasma physics In the 1930s and 1940s he was among the first to recognize star formation as an ongoing contemporary process His monographs Diffuse Matter in Space 1968 and Physical Processes in the Interstellar Medium 1978 consolidated decades of work and themselves became the standard texts for some decades more Spitzer was the founding director of Project Matterhorn Princeton University s pioneering program in controlled thermonuclear research renamed in 1961 as Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory He was an early proponent of space optical astronomy in general and in particular of the project that became Hubble Space Telescope In 1981 Spitzer became a founding member of the World Cultural Council 11 Death EditSpitzer died suddenly on March 31 1997 after completing a regular day of work at Princeton University He was buried at Princeton Cemetery and was survived by wife Doreen Canaday Spitzer four children and ten grandchildren Among Spitzer s four children is neurobiologist Nicholas C Spitzer who is currently the professor and vice chair in neurobiology at UC San Diego Honors EditAwards Fellow of the American Physical Society 1941 12 Member of the United States National Academy of Sciences 1952 13 Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 1953 14 Henry Norris Russell Lectureship 1953 15 Member of the American Philosophical Society 1959 16 Bruce Medal 1973 17 Henry Draper Medal of the National Academy of Sciences 1974 James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics 1975 Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society 1978 18 National Medal of Science 1979 Franklin Medal 1980 Prix Jules Janssen of the Societe astronomique de France French Astronomical Society 1980 Crafoord Prize 1985 Named after him Asteroid 2160 Spitzer Spitzer Space Telescope Lyman Spitzer Library in Davenport College Yale University Lyman Spitzer Building at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in Princeton NJ Lyman Spitzer Planetarium at the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium in St Johnsbury VT Answer to the final question on NTN Buzztime s Showdown on September 16 2008 Spitzer Building in Toledo Ohio Landau Spitzer Award American Physical Society 19 References Edit Saxon Wolfgang 2 April 1997 Lyman Spitzer Jr Dies at 82 Inspired Hubble Telescope The New York Times Retrieved 26 September 2020 a b Ostriker J P 2007 Lyman Spitzer 26 June 1914 31 March 1997 Elected ForMemRS 1990 Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society 53 339 348 doi 10 1098 rsbm 2007 0020 339 Hubble Essentials About Lyman Spitzer Jr Hubble Site Lyman Spitzer Jr 1958 The Stellarator Concept The Physics of Fluids 1 4 253 Bibcode 1958PhFl 1 253S doi 10 1063 1 1705883 S2CID 11748652 O Connor John J Robertson Edmund F Lyman Spitzer MacTutor History of Mathematics archive University of St Andrews Ancestry of Gov Bill Richardson Current Biography Yearbook H W Wilson 1960 pp 395 96 Professor of Astronomy Lyman Spitzer Jr Dies Communications and Publications Stanhope Hall Princeton U April 1 1997 Spitzer Lyman 1938 The spectra of late supergiant stars Lyman Spitzer Cutting Edge Climbing Award About Us World Cultural Council Retrieved November 8 2016 APS Fellow archive APS Retrieved 12 June 2020 Lyman Spitzer cons suffix www nasonline org Retrieved 2022 12 07 Book of Members 1780 2010 Chapter S PDF American Academy of Arts and Sciences Retrieved 15 April 2011 Grants Prizes and Awards American Astronomical Society Archived from the original on 22 December 2010 Retrieved 24 February 2011 APS Member History search amphilsoc org Retrieved 2022 12 07 Past Winners of the Catherine Wolfe Bruce Gold Medal Astronomical Society of the Pacific Archived from the original on 21 July 2011 Retrieved 24 February 2011 Winners of the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society Royal Astronomical Society Archived from the original on 25 May 2011 Retrieved 24 February 2011 Landau Spitzer Award External links EditNASA biography Papers by Lyman Spitzer at the Princeton University Library Oral history interview transcript with Lyman Spitzer on 8 April 1977 American Institute of Physics Niels Bohr Library and Archives Oral History interview transcript with Lyman Spitzer on 15 March 1978 American Institute of Physics Niels Bohr Library and Archives Oral history interview transcript with Lyman Spitzer on 10 May 1978 American Institute of Physics Niels Bohr Library and Archives Oral History interview transcript with Lyman Spitzer on 27 November 1991 American Institute of Physics Niels Bohr Library and Archives Biographical Memoirs National Academy of Sciences Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Lyman Spitzer amp oldid 1126121058, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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