| Lyman Spitzer | |
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| Born | June 26, 1914 Toledo, Ohio, USA |
| Died | March 31, 1997 (aged 82) Princeton, New Jersey, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | theoretical physicist |
| Alma mater | Princeton University (Ph.D.) Yale University (B.A.) |
Lyman Strong Spitzer, Jr. (June 26, 1914 – March 31, 1997) was an American theoretical physicist and astronomer best known for his research in star formation and for his promotions of telescopes in space and research into plasma physics.
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Death
Spitzer died suddenly on March 31, 1997 after having completed a regular working day at Princeton University. He 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 section of neurobiology at UC San Diego
Legacy
Project Matterhorn was RPI's pioneering program in controlled thermonuclear research. The U.S. Atomic Energy Commission recommended (according to the declassified minutes of a meeting held on July 26, 1951) to grant him $50,000 to perform “research in the area in which Dr. Richter had claimed success.” See [1] [2] and article on the Huemul Project. Source: US DOE Archives, 326 US Atomic Energy Commission, Collection: AEC Meetings, Box: Minutes, Meeting No 582, 10:30 AM, Thursday, July 26, 1951.
The NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, launched in 2003, is named after him. It studies the infrared sky from an Earth trailing orbit.
Honors
Awards
- Henry Norris Russell Lectureship in 1953
- Bruce Medal in 1973
- Henry Draper Medal in 1974
- James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics in 1975
- Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1978
- National Medal of Science in 1979
- Crafoord Prize in 1985
Named after him
- Asteroid 2160 Spitzer
- Spitzer Space Telescope
- Lyman Spitzer Library in Davenport College, Yale University
- Answer to the final question on NTN Buzztime's Showdown on September 16, 2008.
Notes
External links
- NASA biography
- Papers by Lyman Spitzer at the Princeton University Library
- Oral History interview transcript with Lyman Spitzer 15 March 1978, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library and Archives
- Oral History interview transcript with Lyman Spitzer 27 November 1991, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library and Archives
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