Wallace L. W. Sargent facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Wal Sargent
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| Born |
Wallace Leslie William Sargent
February 15, 1935 Elsham, Lincolnshire, England
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| Died | October 29, 2012 (aged 77) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Education | University of Manchester (BSc, PhD) |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Awards | FRS (1981) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | California Institute of Technology |
| Thesis | Some Problems in Cosmical Gas Dynamics (1959) |
| Doctoral advisor | Franz Daniel Kahn |
| Doctoral students |
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Wallace Leslie William Sargent (born February 15, 1935 – died October 29, 2012) was a famous astronomer. He was born in Britain but later became an American citizen. He worked as a professor of astronomy at the California Institute of Technology, often called Caltech. He was known for studying stars, galaxies, and black holes.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Wallace Sargent grew up in a small English town called Winterton. His father was a gardener and his mother was a housecleaner. Wallace was the first person in his family to go to high school. He was also the first student from his high school to ever attend college.
He studied at the University of Manchester in England. He earned his first degree there in 1956. Then, he completed his Ph.D. (a very high degree) in 1959, also from the University of Manchester.
Career and Discoveries
Most of Wal Sargent's career was spent at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in the United States. He took a short break to return to England, where he met and married his wife, Anneila.
Exploring the Universe
Sargent studied many different parts of space. He researched stars, galaxies, and quasars. Quasars are very bright objects powered by huge black holes. He also studied active galactic nuclei, which are the super-bright centers of some galaxies.
Black Holes and Galaxies
One of his most important works was finding supermassive black holes. These are giant black holes at the center of galaxies. He was a pioneer in using how stars move to figure out the mass of these black holes. He published the first measurement of a black hole's mass in a galaxy called Messier 87.
Leading the Palomar Observatory
From 1997 to 2000, Professor Sargent was the director of the Palomar Observatory. This is a famous place with large telescopes used for studying space.
Inspiring New Astronomers
Wal Sargent also taught and guided many students at Caltech. Some of his students became famous astronomers themselves. These include John Huchra, Charles C. Steidel, and Alex Filippenko.
Star Men Film
Sargent was featured in a film called Star Men. The film showed him and three other astronomers. They were Donald Lynden-Bell, Roger Griffin (Astronomer), and Neville Woolf. The film followed them as they revisited a memorable hike. It also shared stories about their careers and personalities.
Awards and Recognition
Wal Sargent received many important awards for his work in astronomy:
- Helen B. Warner Prize for Astronomy (1969)
- Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics (1991)
- Bruce Medal (1994)
- Henry Norris Russell Lectureship (2001)
- He was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1981. This is a very high honor for scientists in the United Kingdom.
- An Asteroid was named after him: 11758 Sargent.
Personal Life
Wallace Sargent was married to Anneila Sargent, who is also an astronomer at Caltech. They were married in 1964 and stayed together until his death. Although he became a U.S. citizen, he was born in Elsham, North Lincolnshire, England.
