CVS

"Astronomy Pioneer" Fred Whipple Hand Signed 1.75X1.75 B&W Photo

Description: Up for auction "Whipple Shield" Fred Whipple Hand Signed 1.75X1.75 B&W Photo. T ES-4588 Fred Lawrence Whipple (November 5, 1906 – August 30, 2004) was an American astronomer, who worked at the Harvard College Observatory for over 70 years. Amongst his achievements were asteroid and comet discoveries, the "dirty snowball" hypothesis of comets, and the invention of the Whipple shield. Whipple was born on November 5, 1906, in Red Oak, Iowa, as the son of a farmer. An early bout with polio ended his ambition of being a professional tennis player. Whipple studied at Occidental College in Southern California, then majored in mathematics at the University of California at Los Angeles, graduating in 1927. Recollecting his path from mathematics to astronomy, Whipple stated in a 1978 autobiography that his "mathematics major veered [him] through physics and finally focused on astronomy where time, space, mathematics, and physics had a common meeting ground." After taking a class in astronomy, he enlisted at the University of California, Berkeley where he obtained his PhD in Astronomy in 1931. While in graduate school, he helped map the orbit of the then newly discovered dwarf planet Pluto. He joined Harvard College Observatory in 1931 and studied the trajectories of meteors, confirming that they originated within the solar system rather than from interstellar space. In 1933, he discovered the periodic comet 36P/Whipple and the asteroid 1252 Celestia. He also discovered or co-discovered five other non-periodic comets, the first of which was C/1932 P1 Peltier-Whipple, independently discovered by the famed amateur astronomer Leslie Peltier. During World War II, he invented a device for cutting tinfoil into chaff to confuse enemy radar tracking Allied aircraft. He was awarded a Certificate of Merit for this in 1948. He also invented a "meteoroid bumper" or "Whipple shield", which protects spacecraft from impact by small particles by vaporizing them. From 1950 until 1977 he was a professor of Astronomy at Harvard University, including being the Phillips Professor of Astronomy between 1968 and 1977. During these years (in the early 1950s), he wrote a series of influential papers entitled A Comet Model, published in Astrophysical Journal. In these papers, he proposed the "icy conglomerate" hypothesis of comet composition (later called the "dirty snowball" hypothesis). The basic features of this hypothesis were later confirmed; however, the exact amount (and thus the importance) of ices in a comet is an active field of research, with most of the recently obtained data pointing to a low contribution of ices to a comet's mass (dubbed the "icy dirtball" hypothesis). He also anticipated the era of artificial satellites and organized the members of Operation Moonwatch to track them. These groups were the only ones in the US prepared and ready to make observations when the Soviet Union unexpectedly launched Sputnik I in 1957. He became director of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory when Loyal Blaine Aldrich retired in 1955, and remained in this post until 1973. Whipple made at least one media appearance, in the science documentary film Target...Earth? (1980). He also appeared in the BBC's coverage of the Giotto encounter with Halley's Comet, in 1986. 

Price: 99.99 USD

Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

End Time: 2025-02-03T19:32:45.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD

Product Images

"Astronomy Pioneer" Fred Whipple Hand Signed 1.75X1.75 B&W Photo

Item Specifics

Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer

All returns accepted: Returns Accepted

Item must be returned within: 14 Days

Refund will be given as: Money back or replacement (buyer's choice)

Industry: Science, Inventor

Signed: Yes

Original/Reproduction: Original

Recommended

"Dutch Astronomy Pioneer" Hendrik C. van de Hulst Hand Signed Announcement
"Dutch Astronomy Pioneer" Hendrik C. van de Hulst Hand Signed Announcement

$299.99

View Details
RARE! "Astronomy Pioneer" Robert Paul Kraft Hand Signed TLS Dated 2006 COA
RARE! "Astronomy Pioneer" Robert Paul Kraft Hand Signed TLS Dated 2006 COA

$199.99

View Details
"Astronomy Pioneer" Olin Eggen Hand Signed Announcement From 1987
"Astronomy Pioneer" Olin Eggen Hand Signed Announcement From 1987

$299.99

View Details
PIONEER 10 SATELLITE AUG 27 1969 SPACECRAFT SWANSON CACHET COVER DC43
PIONEER 10 SATELLITE AUG 27 1969 SPACECRAFT SWANSON CACHET COVER DC43

$14.99

View Details
“Czech Astronomy Pioneer” Luboš Kohoutek Hand Signed FDC Dated 1982 COA
“Czech Astronomy Pioneer” Luboš Kohoutek Hand Signed FDC Dated 1982 COA

$129.99

View Details
1556 Pioneer - Jupiter, ArtCraft FDC
1556 Pioneer - Jupiter, ArtCraft FDC

$2.00

View Details
Mar. 11, 1960   PIONEER V Goes into Solar Orbit, GOLDCRAFT  Space Cachet
Mar. 11, 1960 PIONEER V Goes into Solar Orbit, GOLDCRAFT Space Cachet

$59.95

View Details
ASTONOMER SIR WILLIAM HUGGINS ASTRONOMY PIONEER PAINTING ART REAL CANVAS PRINT
ASTONOMER SIR WILLIAM HUGGINS ASTRONOMY PIONEER PAINTING ART REAL CANVAS PRINT

$14.99

View Details
RARE! “Dutch Astronomy Pioneer” Willem Luyten Hand Written Letter on Letterhead
RARE! “Dutch Astronomy Pioneer” Willem Luyten Hand Written Letter on Letterhead

$399.99

View Details
Signature Lives: Scientific Revolution Ser.: Tycho Brahe : Pioneer of Astronomy
Signature Lives: Scientific Revolution Ser.: Tycho Brahe : Pioneer of Astronomy

$2.49

View Details