Nicholas Mayall

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Nicholas Ulrich Mayall (born May 9, 1906 in Moline , Illinois , † January 5, 1993 in Tucson ) was an American astronomer. After completing his doctorate at the University of California, Berkeley , he spent his life as a researcher from 1934 to 1960 at the Lick Observatory , with a brief interruption from 1942 to 1945 during World War II , where he of the Radiation Laboratory MIT for developing radar systems worked .

During his time at the Lick Observatory, he worked and researched nebulae , supernovae , the movement patterns in spiral galaxies , redshift and age, the formation and origin and the size of the universe . Here he published together with Edwin Hubble, among others . A star structure of the Andromeda Nebula bears his name ( Mayall II ). He was largely responsible for the planning and construction of the 3 m reflector telescope for the Lick Observatory.

From 1960 until his retirement in 1971, Mayall was director of the Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO). Under his leadership, the KPNO and the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory achieved a top position among astronomical research institutions. During this time Mayall was responsible for the construction of the 4 m Kitt Peak reflecting telescope that bears his name. In 1949 Mayall was elected to the National Academy of Sciences , 1961 to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and 1962 to the American Philosophical Society . Since 1974 he has been a corresponding member of the Académie des sciences . In 1981 the asteroid (2131) Mayall was named after him.

After Mayall died in 1993, his ashes were scattered on a secluded ridge of Kitt Peak .

literature

  • Donald E. Osterbrock : Nicholas Ulrich Mayall. In: Biographical Memoirs. National Academy of Sciences. Volume 69, 1996, pp. 188-213 ( online ).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Donald E. Osterbrock : Nicholas Ulrich Mayall. In: Biographical Memoirs. Volume 69, 1996, pp. 208-209 .
  2. ^ Member History: Nicholas U. Mayall. American Philosophical Society, accessed October 29, 2018 .
  3. ^ List of members since 1666: Letter M. Académie des sciences, accessed on January 21, 2020 (French).
personal data
SURNAME Mayall, Nicholas
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Mayall, Nicholas Ulrich
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American astronomer
DATE OF BIRTH May 9, 1906
PLACE OF BIRTH Moline , Illinois
DATE OF DEATH 5th January 1993
Place of death Tucson