Vesto Slipher

Vesto Melvin Slipher
Born(1875-11-11)November 11, 1875
Mulberry, Indiana, United States
DiedNovember 8, 1969(1969-11-08) (aged 93)
Flagstaff, Arizona, United States
Alma materIndiana University (BS, MS, PhD)
Known for
Spouse
Emma R. Munger
​
(m. 1904)​
Children2
RelativesEarl C. Slipher (brother)
Scientific career
FieldsAstronomy
InstitutionsLowell Observatory

Vesto Melvin Slipher (/ˈslaɪfər/; November 11, 1875 – November 8, 1969) was an American astronomer who performed the first measurements of radial velocities for galaxies. He was the first to discover that distant galaxies are redshifted, thus providing the first empirical basis for the expansion of the universe.[1][2][3][4] He was also the first to relate these redshifts to velocity.[5]

  1. ^ "Nesto (sic) Slipher, 93, Astronomer, Dies". The New York Times. Flagstaff, AZ (published November 10, 1969). November 9, 1969. p. 47. ISSN 0362-4331.
  2. ^ Way, M.J.; D. Hunter, eds. (2013). Origins of the Expanding Universe: 1912–1932. San Francisco: ASP Conference Series 471. Astronomical Society of the Pacific.
  3. ^ Nussbaumer, Harry (2013). 'Slipher's redshifts as support for de Sitter's model and the discovery of the dynamic universe' In Origins of the Expanding Universe: 1912–1932. Astronomical Society of the Pacific. pp. 25–38.Physics ArXiv preprint
  4. ^ O'Raifeartaigh, Cormac (2013). The Contribution of V.M. Slipher to the discovery of the expanding universe in 'Origins of the Expanding Universe'. Astronomical Society of the Pacific. pp. 49–62.Physics ArXiv preprint
  5. ^ Slipher, V.M. (1917). "Radial velocity observations of spiral nebulae". The Observatory. 40: 304–306. Bibcode:1917Obs....40..304S.