Isadore Epstein | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1919-10-23)23 October 1919 |
| Died | 17 September 1995(1995-09-17) (aged 75) |
| Alma mater | Princeton University |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy |
| Institutions | Columbia University |
Isadore Epstein (October 23, 1919 inTallinn,Estonia – September 17, 1995 inNew York City)[1] was anastronomer. Epstein taughtastronomy atColumbia University for 37 years. He completed his Ph.D. atPrinceton University, following which he was appointed as an instructor at Columbia in 1950, assistant professor in 1953, associate professor in 1957, and professor in 1971. He was named professor emeritus in 1987. He served as acting departmental chairman in 1959.
His early work at Columbia included development of theoretical models of theSun (following on work he did withMartin Schwarzschild at Princeton). He was the first, in this connection, to recognize the importance of the opacity of matter in terms of its resistance to the flow ofsolar radiation, leading to the first models of the Sun to give sensible values for its energy output.
Epstein was a leader in the first modern surveys to find sites forobservatories in theSouthern Hemisphere. He studied the clarity and stability of theatmosphere and accessibility of sites inAustralia,South Africa,Chile, andArgentina during the 1960s. Major observatories were constructed at all the sites he recommended, and he was particularly involved with the establishment of theLeoncito observatory in Argentina. A long term study ofstellar motions was instituted there, and Argentina's national observatory was moved to the site.[2]
La Silla andCerro Tololo observatories in Chile were sited based on Epstein's work, andMauna Kea inHawaii was sited using his methods of site selection.
An asteroid discovered at one of the observatories mentioned above, La Silla, named asteroid2928 Epstein in his honor.[3]