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Donald Howard Menzel (April 11, 1901 – December 14, 1976) was one of the first theoretical astronomers and astrophysicists in the United States. He discovered the physical properties of the solar chromosphere, the chemistry of stars, the atmosphere of Mars, and the nature of gaseous nebulae.
PROFESSOR Donald Howard Menzel, past director of Harvard Observatory, who died in Boston, Mass. at the age of 75 years on December 14, 1976, was born on April 11, 1901 in Florence,...
- Zdeněk Kopal
- 1977
May 21, 2018 · Menzel was one of the first American astronomers to place modern physics at the core of astrophysical practice. He used quantum physics to study the nature of gaseous nebulae; the solar atmosphere, chromosphere, and corona; and also to explore the structure of the atom itself.
D ONALD H. MENZEL, one of the first practitioners of theoretical astrophysics in the United States, pioneered the application of quantum mechanics to astronomical spectroscopy.
Overview. Donald Howard Menzel. (1901—1976) Quick Reference. (1901–76) Americanastrophysicist and solar astronomer. In the 1920s, with H. N. Russell, he established the field of theoretical astrophysics.
Donald Howard Menzel (1901-1976) taught astronomy at Harvard, and was director of the Harvard College Observatory from 1952 to 1966.
Donald Menzel was born in Florence, Colorado on April 11, 1901 and grew up in that state. He viewed his first solar eclipse in 1918. He was 17 years old and would grow up to become a leading authority on the sun and its corona. He traveled around the world to view 15 total eclipses in his lifetime.
