Donald Lynden-Bell
Donald Lynden-Bell (born April 5, 1935 in Dover / England ; † February 6, 2018 ) was a British astronomer and astrophysicist .
life and work
He studied at Cambridge University and did his PhD under Leon Mestel on stellar and galaxy dynamics . He initially worked at the California Institute of Technology (CalTech) and the Royal Greenwich Observatory . In 1972 he was appointed professor of astrophysics .
In particular, he drafted theories on star movements, galaxy formations and the formation of spiral galaxies . In 1969 he came to the conclusion that black holes exist in the center of galaxies and ultimately form the energy for quasars .
From 1985 to 1987 he was President of the Royal Astronomical Society (Royal Astronomical Association).
Most recently he worked at the Astronomical Institute in Cambridge.
Awards
- 1978 member of the Royal Society
- 1983 Karl Schwarzschild Medal of the Astronomical Society
- 1984 Eddington Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society (Royal Astronomical Association)
- 1985 member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- 1990 member of the National Academy of Sciences
- 1991 Dirk Brouwer Prize
- 1993 Gold Medal from the Royal Astronomical Society
- 1998 Bruce Medal
- 2000 John J. Carty Award
- 2000 Henry Norris Russell Lectureship
- 2000 Commander of the Order of the British Empire
- 2004 namesake for the asteroid (18235) Lynden-Bell
- 2008 Kavli Prize
- Member of the Norwegian Academy of Sciences
- Honorary Member of the Royal Society of South Africa (1993)
literature
- Roger Davies: Donald Lynden-Bell (1935-2018). Astrophysicist who predicted that galaxies have black holes at their hearts. On: nature .com from February 28, 2018, doi: 10.1038 / d41586-018-02579-w , full text (PDF)
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Lynden-Bell, Donald |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British astronomer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 5, 1935 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Dover , England |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 6, 2018 |