Lyman Spitzer

Lyman Spitzer, Jr. (June 26, 1914 – March 31, 1997) was an American theoretical physicist. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 472 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1417 × 1800 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 472 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1417 × 1800 pixel, file size: 2. ... is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (91st in leap years), with 275 days remaining. ... Year 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar). ... Theoretical physics employs mathematical models and abstractions of physics, as opposed to experimental processes, in an attempt to understand nature. ...

He was born in Toledo, Ohio. He graduated from Phillips Academy in 1931, received his BA from Yale University in 1935, and his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1938, where he was advised by Henry Norris Russell. He is one of the key figures of 20th century physics, who helped lay down the fundamentals of the physics of plasmas and the astrophysics of the interstellar medium. He founded the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, and in 1946, he envisioned what would eventually become the Hubble Space Telescope. One of his more famous students was George Field. Spitzer died in Princeton, New Jersey. Nickname: Location in the state of Ohio Coordinates: , Country United States State Ohio County Lucas Founded 1833 Government  - Mayor Carty Finkbeiner (D) Area  - City 84. ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area  Ranked 34th  - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²)  - Width 220 miles (355 km)  - Length 220 miles (355 km)  - % water 8. ... Phillips Academy (also known as Andover, Phillips Andover, or simply P.A.) is a co-educational University preparatory school for boarding and day students in grades 9-12. ... “Yale” redirects here. ... Princeton University is a private coeducational research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, in the United States of America. ... Henry Norris Russell (October 25, 1877 – February 18, 1957) was a US astronomer who, along with Ejnar Hertzsprung, developed the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram (1910). ... A plasma lamp, illustrating some of the more complex phenomena of a plasma, including filamentation. ... Spiral Galaxy ESO 269-57 Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties (luminosity, density, temperature, and chemical composition) of celestial objects such as stars, galaxies, and the interstellar medium, as well as their interactions. ... The interstellar medium (or ISM) is the name astronomers give to the tenuous gas and dust that pervade interstellar space. ... Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory for plasma physics and nuclear fusion science. ... The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a telescope in orbit around the Earth, named after astronomer Edwin Hubble. ... Nassau Street, Princetons main street. ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Area  Ranked 47th  - Total 8,729 sq mi (22,608 km²)  - Width 70 miles (110 km)  - Length 150 miles (240 km)  - % water 14. ...

The NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope is named after him. It studies the infrared sky from an Earth trailing orbit. The Spitzer Space Telescope (formerly the Space Infrared Telescope Facility [SIRTF]) is an infrared space observatory, the fourth and final of NASAs Great Observatories. ...

Fusion Research

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. Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory for plasma physics and nuclear fusion science. ... Ronald Richter (1909-1991) was an Austrian, later Argentinian, scientist who became famous in connection with the Huemul Project and the National Atomic Energy Commission. ... The Huemul Project was a secret project proposed by the German scientist of Austrian origin Ronald Richter to the government of Argentina during the first presidency of Juan Domingo Perón. ...

Honors

Awards

• Henry Norris Russell Lectureship in 1953
• Bruce Medal in 1973
• Henry Draper Medal in 1974
• Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1978
• National Medal of Science in 1979
• Crafoord Prize in 1985

Named after him The Henry Norris Russell Lectureship is awarded each year by the American Astronomical Society in recognition of a lifetime of excellence in astronomical research. ... The Catherine Wolfe Bruce gold medal is awarded every year by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific for outstanding lifetime contributions to astronomy. ... The Henry Draper Medal was established by the widow of Henry Draper, and is awarded by the US National Academy of Sciences for contributions to astrophysics. ... Gold Medal awarded to Asaph Hall The Gold Medal is the highest award of the Royal Astronomical Society. ... National Medal of Science The National Medal of Science, also called the Presidential Medal of Science, is an honor given by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral and social... The Crafoord Prize was established in 1980 by Holger Crafoord, the inventor of the artificial kidney, and his wife Anna-Greta Crafoord. ...

• Asteroid 2160 Spitzer
• Spitzer Space Telescope

253 Mathilde, a C-type asteroid. ... 2160 Spitzer is the name of an asteroid which was discovered at Goethe Link Observatory near Brooklyn, Indiana by the Indiana Asteroid Program. ... The Spitzer Space Telescope (formerly the Space Infrared Telescope Facility [SIRTF]) is an infrared space observatory, the fourth and final of NASAs Great Observatories. ...

External links

• NASA biography
• Papers by Lyman Spitzer at the Princeton University Library