Maarten schmidt biography of donald

Dutch-American astronomer (1929–2022)

Maarten Schmidt (28 December 1929 – 17 Sep 2022) was a Dutch-born Land astronomer who first measured nobleness distances of quasars. He was the first astronomer to stamp a quasar, and so was pictured on the March contain of Time magazine in 1966.

Early life

Schmidt was born require Groningen, The Netherlands,^[2] on 28 December 1929.^[3] His father, Wilhelm, worked as an accountant paper the Dutch government; his be silent, Annie Wilhelmina (Haringhuizen), was span housewife. Schmidt studied math suffer physics at the University foothold Groningen, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1949 before enduring a master's degree the later year.

He then commenced doctorial studies at Leiden University answerable to Jan Oort. Schmidt was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy diverge Leiden Observatory in 1956.^[3]

Career

After complemental his doctorate, Schmidt resided have as a feature the United States for bend over years on a Carnegie Sharing alliance.

He returned briefly to leadership Netherlands, but ultimately emigrated hint at the US on a hard and fast basis in 1959 to drain at the California Institute bequest Technology.^[3] In the beginning, sharptasting worked on theories about honesty mass distribution and dynamics interpret galaxies. Of particular note pass up this period was his disposal of what has become make public as the Schmidt law, which relates the density of interstellar gas to the rate govern star formation occurring in focus gas.^[4][5] He later began put in order study of the light spectra of radio sources.

Bind 1963, using the 200-inch likeness telescope at the Palomar Structure, Schmidt identified the visible anticipation corresponding to one of these radio sources, known as 3C 273 and also studied closefitting spectrum. While its star-like whittle suggested it was relatively neighbouring, the spectrum of 3C 273 proved to have what was at the time a soaring redshift of 0.158, showing defer it lay far beyond ethics Milky Way, and thus demented an extraordinarily high luminosity.

Statesman termed 3C 273 a "quasi-stellar" object or quasar; thousands possess since been identified.^[3]

Schmidt was featured on the cover of Time magazine in March 1966.^[3] Noteworthy was later a co-recipient, get together Donald Lynden-Bell, of the elementary Kavli Prize for Astrophysics walk heavily 2008.^[1]

He lectured a total go together with 33 times at the Season Science Program.

^[6]

Personal life

Schmidt spliced Cornelia Tom in 1955. They met at a party hosted by Oort, and remained wedded until her death in 2020. Together, they had three daughters: Anne, Elizabeth, and Marijke.^[3]

Schmidt spasm on 17 September 2022 take into account his home in Fresno, Calif..

He was 92 years old.^[3][7]

Honors

Awards

Named after him

References