Astronomy Day 2021: Remembering Lyman Spitzer visionary behind Hubble telescope

Marking 2021’s second Astromy Day, on October 9, National Aeronautics and Administration (NASA) has paid tribute to American astrophysicist Lyman Spitzer, who laid foundation of Hubble’s mission. It was spitzer who dreamed about discoveries, an outer telescope could make, an idea that he presented a decade before first satellite entered orbit, ncy stated. Moreover, it was his ideas that brought toger NASA and European ncy (ESA) in 1978 for building Hubble telescope.

Who was Lyman Spitzer?

Lyman Spitzer was born on June 26, 1914, in US state of Ohio and had a curiosity for from an early . Spitzer, who was interested in exploring universe, was also an avid skier and mountain climber. In his ambitions to explore Earth, he became one of first to climb Mount Thor in Auyuittuq National Park in Canada in 1965. 

Besides, in 1965 he rose to prominence when he was made head of a community established by National Academy of Sciences to define scientific objectives for a proposed large telescope. After retaining this position, Spitzer persevered to convince scientific community and US government to put a large telescope in for better exploration of cosmos. 

Contributions of Lyman Spitzer

NASA had informed that idea of a -based observatory was presented by Spitzer in 1946 in his paper 'Astromical Advants of an Extra-Terrestrial Observatory.'  motive behind idea was to observe wavelengths of light t easily seen by ground-based telescopes and get better quality pictures as outer telescope would be free from limitations of Earth’s atmosphere. 

As per NASA, Spitzer argued that orbiting observatories will be installed t only 'to supplement present ideas of universe we live in, but rar to uncover new phemena t yet imagined, and perhaps to modify profoundly basic concepts of and time." 

Moreover, he urged that humanity will get a better understanding of magnitude of our universe with a large, reflecting telescope placed in orbit around Earth. We can say that his predictions came true as scientists are w also able to explore structures of galaxies, globular star clusters, and or planets in cosmos.

(Im: NASA/PIXABAY)