Astro*Dictionary by Michael Erlewine
1 article for "Slipher, Vesto Melvin"
Slipher, Vesto Melvin [Astro*Index](sly'fer)
(1875-1969) American astronomer. Born at Mulberry, indiana; died at Flagstaff, Arizona.
At Lowell Observatory, he obtained the first good photographs of Mars. He directed the research that led Tombaugh to the discovery of Pluto. In 1933, he showed that the atmosphere of Neptune contained methane. In 1912, he was first to apply the Doppler-Fizeau effect to the Andromeda nebula, reporting it to be approaching the Earth at 125 miles/second. All but one other galaxy are receding from the Earth.
See also: ♦ Tombaugh, Clyde W. ♦ Doppler Effect
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