Lyman Spitzer
| Lyman Spitzer | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | Lyman Strong Spitzer, Jr. June 26, 1914 Toledo, Ohio, United States |
| Died | March 31, 1997 (aged 82) Princeton, New Jersey, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | Theoretical physics |
| Alma mater |
Phillips Academy Princeton University (Ph.D.) Yale University (B.A.) |
| Doctoral advisor | Henry Norris Russell |
| Doctoral students |
John Richard Gott Bruce Elmegreen George B. Field J. Beverley Oke Trinh Xuan Thuan |
| Known for | Research in star formation and plasma physics Promotion of space telescopes |
| Notable awards | Henry Draper Medal (1974) National Medal of Science (1979) Crafoord Prize (1985) |
| Spouse | Doreen Canaday (1940) |
Lyman Strong 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, 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 David Morton.
Spitzer was born to a Presbyterian family in Toledo, Ohio, the son of Lyman Strong Spitzer and Blanche Carey (née Brumback). Through his paternal grandmother, he was related to inventor Eli Whitney. Spitzer graduated from Scott High School. He then attended Phillips Academy in 1929 and went on to Yale College, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1935 and was a member of Skull and Bones. During a year of study at Cambridge University, he was influenced by Arthur Eddington and the young Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar. Returning to the U.S., Spitzer earned his MA from Princeton University in 1937 and his PhD in 1938, under the direction of Henry Norris Russell.
In 1965, Spitzer and Donald Morton became the first men to climb Mount Thor 1,675 m (5,495 ft), located in Auyuittuq National Park, on Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada. As a member of the American Alpine Club Spitzer established the "Lyman Spitzer Cutting Edge Climbing Award" which gives $12,000 to several mountain climbing expeditions annually.
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