Whipple Gets Science Prize for Astronomy

Harvard meteor authority Fred L. Whipple, associate professor of Astronomy and Chairman of the Astronomy Department, has been awarded the Smith Prize by the National Academy of Science, the College Observatory announced Thursday.

The award goes to the scientist making an outstanding contribution to the field of meteors, Director Harlow Shapley said.

Among Whipple's contributions are studies of the variations of temperatures according to altitude, the mapping of meteor orbits and the investigation of meteor through photography and radio echoes.