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I
n 1946, a full 11 years before
Sputnik 1, the first satellite,
was launched into Earth’s
orbit, a 32-year-old astrophysicist
named Lyman Strong Spitzer Jr.
conceived of a powerful telescope
that would one day operate not on
Earth’s surface but in orbit. High
above the opaque atmosphere
and the light pollution, this space
telescope would have a clear and
unprecedented view of the universe.
It would be more than four decades
before Spitzer’s dream was realized,
but his patience and tenacity would
eventually pay off.More than light
The discovery of extraterrestrial
radio sources by Karl Jansky in
1935 revealed that there were
ways of observing the universe
other than by visible light. The
outbreak of World War II in 1939
interrupted research into this new
and exciting field. It was left to an
amateur astronomer from Illinois
named Grote Reber to take the first
steps in radio astronomy. In 1937,
Reber had made the first survey of
the radio universe using homemade
antennae he had built in his
backyard. Soon afterward, wartimeresearchers found that meteors
and sunspots produced radio
waves of their own, this time
in the microwave band used in
radars. If it was possible to discover
new objects using radio, then it
stood to reason that other forms
of electromagnetic radiation, such
as infrared, ultraviolet (UV), and
X-rays, could be harnessed as
tools of observation.
There was a problem, however.
Earth’s atmosphere, transparent
to visible light, is opaque to manySPACE TELESCOPES
IN CONTEXT
KEY ASTRONOMER
Lyman Spitzer Jr. (1914 –1997)BEFORE
1935 Karl Jansky reveals that
celestial objects produce radio
waves, offering new ways to
view the universe beyond
visible light.1970 NASA launches Uhuru,
an orbiting X-ray observatory.1978 The International
Ultraviolet Explorer, the first
telescope operated in real
time, is launched.AFTER
1990 The Hubble Space
Telescope is launched.2003 The infrared Spitzer
Space Telescope is launched.2009 The Kepler Telescope
is launched to search for
extrasolar planets.2018 Scheduled launch of
the infrared James Webb
Space Telescope.Lyman Spitzer Jr. Lyman Spitzer Jr. was born in
Toledo, Ohio, in 1914. He received
a Ph.D. in astrophysics from
Princeton under the supervision
of Henry Norris Russell. After
World War II, he became head
of the astrophysics department,
and began his 50-year devotion
to space telescopes.
As an expert in plasma, Spitzer
invented the stellarator in 1950.
This device contained hot plasma
within a magnetic field and started
the search for fusion power that
continues today. In 1965, Spitzer
joined NASA to develop space
observatories, but that year hetriumphed in another field
entirely. With his friend Donald
Morton, Spitzer became the first
to climb Mount Thor, a 5,495-ft
(1,675-m) peak in the Canadian
Arctic. In 1977, his campaigning
for a space telescope paid off,
and funding was granted to
the Hubble Space Telescope.
He lived long enough to see his
dream become a reality in 1990.Key work1946 Astronomical Advantages
of an Extra-terrestrial
ObservatoryAstronomy may be
revolutionized more than
any other field of science
by observations from above
the atmosphere. In a new
adventure of discovery, no one
can foretell what will be found.
Lyman Spitzer Jr.