Lyman Spitzer
Lyman Spitzer | |
|---|---|
| Born | Lyman Spitzer Jr. June 26, 1914 Toledo, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | March 31, 1997 (aged 82) Princeton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Resting place | Princeton Cemetery |
| Alma mater | Princeton University (Ph.D.) Yale University (B.A.) Phillips Academy |
| Known for | Research in star formation and plasma physics Promotion of space telescopes |
| Spouse | Doreen Canaday (m. 1940) |
| Awards | Henry Draper Medal (1974) James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (1975) National Medal of Science (1979) Crafoord Prize (1985) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Theoretical physics |
| Doctoral advisor | Henry Norris Russell |
| Doctoral students | John Richard Gott Bruce Elmegreen George B. Field J. Beverley Oke Trinh Xuan Thuan J. Michael Shull |
Lyman Spitzer Jr. (June 26, 1914 – March 31, 1997) was an American theoretical physicist, astronomer and mountaineer. As a scientist, he carried out research into star formation and plasma physics and in 1946 conceived the idea of telescopes operating in outer space. Spitzer invented the stellarator plasma device 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.