George Herbig
Encyclopedia
George Howard Herbig is an astronomer
at the University of Hawaii
Institute for Astronomy
. He is perhaps best known for the discovery of Herbig-Haro objects.
Herbig received his Ph.D
in 1948 at the University of California, Berkeley
; his dissertation is entitled A Study of Variable Stars
in Nebulosity. His specialty is star
s at an early stage of evolution
(a class of intermediate mass pre–main sequence stars are named Herbig Ae/Be stars after him) and the interstellar medium
. He is perhaps best known for his discovery, with Guillermo Haro
, of the Herbig-Haro object
s; bright patches of nebulosity excited by bipolar outflow from a star being born. Herbig has also made prominent contributions to the field of diffuse interstellar band
(DIB) research, especially through a series of nine articles published between 1963 and 1995 entitled "The diffuse interstellar bands."
Named after him
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
at the University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
Institute for Astronomy
Institute for Astronomy
The Institute for Astronomy is a research unit within the University of Hawaii system, led by Günther Hasinger as Director. IfA main headquarters are located at 2680 Woodlawn Drive in Honolulu, Hawaii, , on the University of Hawaii at Mānoa campus. Additional facilities are located at Pukalani,...
. He is perhaps best known for the discovery of Herbig-Haro objects.
Herbig received his Ph.D
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in 1948 at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
; his dissertation is entitled A Study of Variable Stars
Variable star
A star is classified as variable if its apparent magnitude as seen from Earth changes over time, whether the changes are due to variations in the star's actual luminosity, or to variations in the amount of the star's light that is blocked from reaching Earth...
in Nebulosity. His specialty is star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
s at an early stage of evolution
Stellar evolution
Stellar evolution is the process by which a star undergoes a sequence of radical changes during its lifetime. Depending on the mass of the star, this lifetime ranges from only a few million years to trillions of years .Stellar evolution is not studied by observing the life of a single...
(a class of intermediate mass pre–main sequence stars are named Herbig Ae/Be stars after him) and the interstellar medium
Interstellar medium
In astronomy, the interstellar medium is the matter that exists in the space between the star systems in a galaxy. This matter includes gas in ionic, atomic, and molecular form, dust, and cosmic rays. It fills interstellar space and blends smoothly into the surrounding intergalactic space...
. He is perhaps best known for his discovery, with Guillermo Haro
Guillermo Haro
Professor Guillermo Haro was born in Mexico City where he grew during the time of the Mexican Revolution. He studied philosophy at the National Autonomous University of Mexico...
, of the Herbig-Haro object
Herbig-Haro object
Herbig–Haro objects are small patches of nebulosity associated with newly born stars, and are formed when gas ejected by young stars collides with clouds of gas and dust nearby at speeds of several hundred kilometres per second...
s; bright patches of nebulosity excited by bipolar outflow from a star being born. Herbig has also made prominent contributions to the field of diffuse interstellar band
Diffuse interstellar band
Diffuse interstellar bands are absorption features seen in the spectra of astronomical objects in our galaxy. They are caused by the absorption of light by the interstellar medium...
(DIB) research, especially through a series of nine articles published between 1963 and 1995 entitled "The diffuse interstellar bands."
Honors
Awards- Helen B. Warner Prize for AstronomyHelen B. Warner Prize for AstronomyThe Helen B. Warner Prize for Astronomy is awarded annually by the American Astronomical Society to a young astronomer for a significant contribution to observational or theoretical astronomy....
of the American Astronomical SocietyAmerican Astronomical SocietyThe American Astronomical Society is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC...
(1955) - Foreign Scientific Member, Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Heidelberg
- Henry Norris Russell LectureshipHenry Norris Russell LectureshipThe Henry Norris Russell Lectureship is awarded each year by the American Astronomical Society in recognition of a lifetime of excellence in astronomical research.-Previous lecturers:This list of lecturers is from the American Astronomical Society's website....
of the AAS (1975) - Médaille, Université de Liège (1969)
- Bruce MedalBruce MedalThe Catherine Wolfe Bruce Gold Medal is awarded every year by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific for outstanding lifetime contributions to astronomy. It is named after Catherine Wolfe Bruce, an American patroness of astronomy, and was first awarded in 1898...
of the Astronomical Society of the PacificAstronomical Society of the PacificThe Astronomical Society of the Pacific is a scientific and educational organization, founded in San Francisco on February 7, 1889. Its name derives from its origins on the Pacific Coast, but today it has members all over the country and the world...
(1980) - Petrie Prize and Lectureship of the Canadian Astronomical SocietyCanadian Astronomical SocietyThe Canadian Astronomical Society is a Canadian society of professional astronomers, founded in 1971 and incorporated in 1983. The society is devoted to the promotion and advancement of knowledge of the universe through research and education, and its membership is open to people with a...
(1995)
Named after him
- AsteroidAsteroidAsteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
11754 Herbig11754 Herbig11754 Herbig is a tiny Main belt asteroid.It was discovered on September 24, 1960 at Palomar Observatory by Cornelis Johannes van Houten, Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld and Tom Gehrels. It is named in honor of U.S. astronomer George Herbig.-References:... - Herbig Ae/Be stars
- Herbig-Haro objectHerbig-Haro objectHerbig–Haro objects are small patches of nebulosity associated with newly born stars, and are formed when gas ejected by young stars collides with clouds of gas and dust nearby at speeds of several hundred kilometres per second...
s
Selected publications
- "High-Resolution Spectroscopy of FU Orionis Stars", ApJ 595 (2003) 384–411 http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=2003ApJ...595..384H&db_key=AST&high=410531704925054
- "The Young Cluster IC 5146IC 5146IC 5146 is a reflection/emission nebula and Caldwell object in the constellation Cygnus. IC 5146 refers specifically to the star cluster and Sh2-125 to the nebula. It shines at magnitude +10.0/+9.3/+7.2. Its celestial coordinates are RA , dec...
", AJ 123 (2002) 304–327 http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=2002AJ....123..304H&db_key=AST&high=410531704926265 - "Barnard's Merope Nebula Revisited: New Observational Results", AJ 121 (2001) 3138–3148 http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=2001AJ....121.3138H&db_key=AST&high=410531704926160
- "The Diffuse Interstellar Bands", Annu. Rev. Astrophys. 33 (1995) 19–73
- "The Unusual Pre-Main-Sequence star VY Tauri", ApJ 360 (1990) 639–649
- "The Structure and Spectrum of R MonocerotisR MonocerotisR Monocerotis is a T Tauri variable in the constellation Monoceros. The apparent magnitude of R Mon varies between 10 and 12.The star is located in a diffuse nebula called "Hubble's Variable Nebula"...
", ApJ 152 (1968) 439 - "The Spectra of Two Nebulous Objects Near NGC 1999NGC 1999NGC 1999 is a dust filled bright nebula with a vast hole of empty space represented by a black patch of sky, as can be seen in the photograph. It is a reflection nebula, and shines from the light of the variable star V380 Orionis....
", ApJ 113 (1951) 697