William P. Bidelman
| William Pendry Bidelman | |
|---|---|
| Born |
September 25, 1918 Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Died | May 3, 2011 (aged 92) Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | astronomer, astrophysicist |
| Institutions |
Yerkes Observatory, Lick Observatory, Michigan Observatory McDonald Observatory, Warner and Swasey Observatory |
| Alma mater | Harvard College, University of Chicago |
| Doctoral advisor | William Wilson Morgan |
| Doctoral students | Craig Chester, Stephen Naftilan, Cynthia Irvine, William G. Smethells Thomas Ake, Sang-Gak Lee |
| Known for | co-discovery of the barium stars with Philip Keenan, expert on the peculiar stars. |
| Spouse | Verna Pearl Shirk (1918–2009; her death) |
William Pendry Bidelman (/ˈbaɪdəlmæn/ BY-dəl-man; September 25, 1918 - May 3, 2011) whose friends called him "Billy", was an American astronomer. Born in Los Angeles, and raised in North Dakota, he was noted for classifying the spectra of stars, and considered a pioneer in recognizing and classifying sub-groups of the peculiar stars.
Bidelman’s undergraduate degree was from Harvard College, and his Ph.D. in astronomy was from the University of Chicago under advisor William Wilson Morgan. He was a physicist in the Army during World War II. A professional astronomer for over 50 years, Bidelman taught for ~41 years at The University of Chicago, The University of California,
He co-discovered the class of barium stars with Philip Keenan, the phosphorus and the mercury stars, and was the first to describe the hydrogen-deficient carbon stars.
Born in Los Angeles, California, Bidelman was raised in North Dakota, where he met his future wife of 69 years. He was a father of four and a grandfather. As an Emeritus Professor William P. Bidelman continued working in astronomy after he retired from teaching, and was 92 when he died in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
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