Rupert Wildt facts for kids

Rupert Wildt (born June 25, 1905 – died January 9, 1976) was a famous German-American astronomer. He made important discoveries about the atmospheres of planets and stars.

Early Life and Education

Rupert Wildt was born in Munich, Germany, on June 25, 1905. He grew up in Germany during a time of big changes, including World War I. He was a very bright student.

In 1927, he earned his Ph.D. degree from the University of Berlin. A Ph.D. is the highest university degree you can get. After that, he went to the University of Göttingen. There, he focused on studying the properties of atmospheres, which are the layers of gas around planets and stars.

Discoveries About Planets

Rupert Wildt was very interested in the giant planets in our solar system.

What Are Jupiter's Clouds Made Of?

In 1932, he studied the light coming from Jupiter and other outer planets. He looked at their spectra, which is like a rainbow that shows what elements are present. He found special dark lines in the spectra. These lines showed that the atmospheres of these planets had a lot of hydrogen-rich gases. He identified these gases as methane and ammonia.

This discovery was very important. It suggested that these planets were made of similar materials to the Sun and other stars.

How Are Giant Planets Structured?

Based on his findings, Wildt created a model of what these giant planets might look like inside. He thought that the center of these planets was a solid core. This core would be made of rock and metal. Around this core, he believed there was a thick layer of ice. On top of the ice, there would be a very dense atmosphere. His model of these planets is still widely accepted by scientists today.

Moving to the United States

In 1934, Rupert Wildt moved to the United States. He continued his research there. From 1937 to 1942, he worked as a research assistant at Princeton University. After that, he became a professor at the University of Virginia until 1947. Finally, he joined the faculty at Yale University, where he continued his important work.

Ideas About Venus

Wildt also studied the planet Venus.

What is Venus's Atmosphere Like?

In 1937, he suggested that the atmosphere of Venus was made of a mist of formaldehyde. At the time, his observations did not show any water in Venus's atmosphere. However, later measurements taken from balloons showed that there was indeed water vapor. Because of this, his idea about formaldehyde was later changed.

The Greenhouse Effect on Venus

Even though his formaldehyde idea was changed, Wildt had another brilliant idea about Venus in 1940. He thought that the carbon dioxide gas in Venus's atmosphere was trapping heat. This phenomenon is now called the greenhouse effect. He was one of the first to explain how this effect could make a planet very hot.

Understanding the Sun's Light

In 1939, Rupert Wildt made a key discovery about our own Sun. He showed that the main source of light we see from the Sun comes from a special ion called the H⁻ ion. This ion is also the main source of visible light for other stars. This was a big step in understanding how stars shine.

Leadership and Later Life

Rupert Wildt was a respected leader in the astronomy community. From 1965 to 1968, he was the president of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy. He also served as the head of the astronomy department at Yale University from 1966 to 1968.

From 1973 until his death, he was a professor emeritus at Yale. This means he was a retired professor who still kept his title because of his important contributions. Rupert Wildt passed away on January 9, 1976, in Orleans, Massachusetts.

Awards and Honors

Rupert Wildt's important work was recognized with several honors:

• He received the Eddington Medal in 1966. This is a special award for achievements in theoretical astronomy.
• An Asteroid was named after him: 1953 Rupertwildt.
• A crater on the Moon is also named in his honor: Wildt.

See also

In Spanish: Rupert Wildt para niños