Donald Menzel
Donald Howard Menzel (born April 11, 1901 in Florence , Colorado , † December 14, 1976 in Boston , Massachusetts ) was an American astronomer.
Menzel graduated from the University of Denver and earned his Ph.D. then at Princeton University . He worked at the Lick Observatory until he accepted a position at Harvard University in 1932. In 1934 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences , in 1943 to the American Philosophical Society and in 1948 to the National Academy of Sciences . From 1954 to 1956 he was President of the American Astronomical Society .
Menzel initially worked in the field of solar research . Together with Gabriel Gideon Cillié, he discovered that the solar corona has a very high temperature. His work from 1932 created the template for the later correct interpretation of the spectral lines of a chemical element " Coronium " which was suspected at the time . Later he turned to gas mists . In 1922 he discovered the planetary nebulae Menzel 1 , Menzel 2 and Menzel 3, which were later named after him . He formulated the basic principles of planetary nebulae together with Lawrence Aller and James G. Baker .
He wrote u. a. A Field Guide to the Stars and Planets , part of the Peterson Field Guides . In addition to his scientific work, Menzel was also one of those astronomers who repeatedly questioned reports of alleged UFO sightings. He dealt with the problem in three books: Flying Saucers (1953), The World Of Flying Saucers: A Scientific Examination of a Major Myth of the Space Age (1963) and The UFO Enigma: The Definitive Explanation of the UFO Phenomenon (1977 ). In 1968, Menzel told the US House Committee on Science and Astronautics that all UFO sightings could be explained by natural phenomena.
In 1976 he received the Jules Janssen Prize . The asteroid (1967) Menzel and the lunar crater Menzel were named after Menzel .
Web links
- Literature by and about Donald Menzel in the catalog of the German National Library
- Publications by DH Menzel in the Astrophysics Data System
- Z. Kopal: DH Menzel. Nature, Volume 267 (1977), Issue 5607, p. 189, doi : 10.1038 / 267189a0 (obituary, English)
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- ↑ Pasachoff, Jay M .: Menzel and Eclipses , bibcode : 2002JHA .... 33..139P
- ↑ Harlow Shapley: Five new planetary Nebulae , bibcode : 1922BHarO.777R ... 3S
- ↑ Donald H. Menzel: Physical Processes in Gaseous Nebulae. I. , bibcode : 1937ApJ .... 85..330M
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Menzel, Donald |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Menzel, Donald Howard (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American astronomer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 11, 1901 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Florence , Colorado |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 14, 1976 |
| Place of death | Boston , Massachusetts |