William Albert Hiltner (27 August 1914 – 30 September 1991) was an American

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, g ...

, noted for his work leading up to the discovery of

interstellar polarization Interstellar or Interstella may refer to: Space * Interstellar space ** Interstellar medium * Interstellar travel * Interstellar communication * Interstellar probe ** Interstellar Probe (spacecraft) (ISP), a NASA probe proposed in 2018 for launch ...

. He was an early practitioner of precision stellar photometry, and a pioneering observer of the optical counterparts of celestial x-ray sources. Director of Yerkes Observatory for many years, while there he designed and built a rotatable telescope for polarization studies and developed photometric instrumentation. He was the acting director of the

Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory The Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) is an astronomical observatory located on Cerro Tololo in the Coquimbo Region of northern Chile, with additional facilities located on Cerro Pachón about to the southeast. It is approximately ...

, then president of the Associated Universities for Research in Astronomy from 1968 until 1971, and was appointed Director of the University of Michigan Detroit Observatory in 1970, a post he held until 1982. He established

MDM Observatory The MDM Observatory (''Michigan-Dartmouth-MIT Observatory''; obs. code: 697) is an optical astronomical observatory located adjacent to Kitt Peak National Observatory on Kitt Peak, west of Tucson, Arizona, in the United States. It is owne ...

and led the construction of the

Hiltner Telescope The MDM Observatory (''Michigan-Dartmouth-MIT Observatory''; obs. code: 697) is an optical astronomical observatory located adjacent to Kitt Peak National Observatory on Kitt Peak, west of Tucson, Arizona, in the United States. It is own ...

, which is named for him. After retiring from his professorship at University of Michigan, he joined the staff of the Carnegie Observatories to become the Project Manager for the Magellan Telescope Project, a program to build two 6.5 meter telescopes on Las Campanas in Chile.

Education

His undergrad was at the

University of Toledo The University of Toledo (UToledo or UT) is a public research university in Toledo, Ohio. It is the northernmost campus of the University System of Ohio. The university also operates a Health Science campus, which includes the University of T ...

and his graduate studies were at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

culminating in a doctorate in astrophysics in 1942.

Personal life

Hiltner was born on the farm of his parents, John Nicholas and Ida Lavina (née Schafer) Hiltner, in North Creek, Ohio, 45 miles southwest of Toledo. The youngest of four siblings, he received his early education in a one room schoolhouse. Gaining an interest in astronomy at an early age, he graduated from high school in a class of 17, and entered the University of Toledo the following year. During his graduate studies at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, he married Ruth Kreider, daughter of Henry Royer Kreider, a chemist and minister who founded the chemistry department at the

. They had four children. Anne Hiltner was a polymer chemist at Case Western Reserve. Kathryn Mook became a professional handweaver and hospital administrator. William A. Hiltner, Jr. became a carpenter and architect. Stephen K. Hiltner is a jazz musician and composer, and founded the nonprofit Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association and Friends of Herrontown Woods.

Awards and honors

Asteroid

4924 Hiltner 49 may refer to: * 49 (number) * "Forty Nine", a song by Karma to Burn from the album '' V'', 2011 * one of the years 49 BC, AD 49, 1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Paki ...

, discovered by astronomer

Schelte J. Bus Schelte John "Bobby" Bus (born 1956) is an American astronomer and discoverer of minor planets at the Institute for Astronomy of the University of Hawaii and deputy director of NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) at the Mauna Kea Observat ...

in 1981, was named in his memory. The official was published by the

Minor Planet Center The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Function ...

on 16 May 1992 ().

References

American astronomers 1991 deaths 1914 births University of Michigan alumni University of Toledo alumni {{US-astronomer-stub