Today in Wheeling History: January 2--George Herbig, a famous astronomer known for finding bright patches of gas and young stars, was born in Wheeling (1920).
George Howard Herbig was born on January 2, 1920, in Wheeling, West Virginia. He developed an early interest in astronomy, which led him to build his own telescope and join the Los Angeles Astronomical Society during his high school years. Herbig pursued higher education at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in 1943. He continued his studies at the University of California, Berkeley, earning his Ph.D. in 1948 with a dissertation on stars that change in brightness and clouds of gas and dust in space.
Herbig's career was marked by important contributions to astronomy, especially in studying young stars and the space between them. He is best known for discovering Herbig-Haro objects, which are bright patches of gas near new stars, with Mexican astronomer Guillermo Haro. He also identified a type of young star called Herbig Ae/Be stars.
Throughout his career, Herbig received numerous accolades, including the Helen B. Warner Prize for Astronomy (1955), the Henry Norris Russell Lectureship (1975), and the Bruce Medal (1980). He spent much of his professional life at the University of Hawai'i Institute for Astronomy. George Herbig passed away on October 12, 2013, in Honolulu, Hawaii, leaving behind a legacy of groundbreaking research in astronomy.
To learn more: Wikipedia (https://shorturl.at/FAMKW), Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers (https://shorturl.at/VlkIv), LCAS (https://shorturl.at/Hz00m)
Photo caption and credit: George Herbig, January 2nd, 1920 to October 12th, 2013 (Philosophy of Science Portal)
George Howard Herbig was born on January 2, 1920, in Wheeling, West Virginia. He developed an early interest in astronomy, which led him to build his own telescope and join the Los Angeles Astronomical Society during his high school years. Herbig pursued higher education at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in 1943. He continued his studies at the University of California, Berkeley, earning his Ph.D. in 1948 with a dissertation on stars that change in brightness and clouds of gas and dust in space.
Herbig's career was marked by important contributions to astronomy, especially in studying young stars and the space between them. He is best known for discovering Herbig-Haro objects, which are bright patches of gas near new stars, with Mexican astronomer Guillermo Haro. He also identified a type of young star called Herbig Ae/Be stars.
Throughout his career, Herbig received numerous accolades, including the Helen B. Warner Prize for Astronomy (1955), the Henry Norris Russell Lectureship (1975), and the Bruce Medal (1980). He spent much of his professional life at the University of Hawai'i Institute for Astronomy. George Herbig passed away on October 12, 2013, in Honolulu, Hawaii, leaving behind a legacy of groundbreaking research in astronomy.
To learn more: Wikipedia (https://shorturl.at/FAMKW), Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers (https://shorturl.at/VlkIv), LCAS (https://shorturl.at/Hz00m)
Photo caption and credit: George Herbig, January 2nd, 1920 to October 12th, 2013 (Philosophy of Science Portal)
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