Fritz Zwicky



Fritz Zwicky (February 14, 1898 – February 8, 1974) was a Swiss astronomer. He worked most of his life at the California Institute of Technology in the United States of America, where he made many important contributions in theoretical and observational astronomy.

Quotes

 * It is known that very distant nebulae, probably galactic systems like our own, show remarkably high receding velocities whose magnitude increases with the distance. This curious phenomenon promises to provide some important clues for the future development of our cosmological views. It maybe of advantage, therefore, to point out some of the principal facts which any cosmological theory will have to account for. Then a brief discussion will be given of different theoretical suggestions related to the above effect. Finally, a new effect of masses upon light will be suggested which is a sort of gravitational analogue of the Compton effect.
 * Fritz Zwicky, (quote from p. 773)
 * To eliminate the discrepancy between men's plans and the results achieved, a new approach is necessary. Morphological thinking suggests that this new approach cannot be realized through increased teaching of specialized knowledge. This morphological analysis suggests that the essential fact has been overlooked that every human is potentially a genius. Education and dissemination of knowledge must assume a form which allows each student to absorb whatever develops his own genius, lest he become frustrated. The same outlook applies to the genius of the peoples as a whole.
 * Fritz Zwicky, Morphological astronomy, The Observatory, Vol. 68, p. 121-143 (1948).


 * I myself can think of a dozen ways to annihilate all living persons within one hour.
 * Fritz Zwicky, cited in "Idea Man", by Stephen M. Maurer; published in Beam Line (Winter 2001, Vol. 31, No. 1)

Quotes about Fritz Zwicky

 * A cluster of galaxies gave the first hints of dark matter (in the modern sense). In 1933, F. Zwicky inferred from measurements of the velocity dispersion in the Coma cluster, a mass-to-light ratio of around 400 solar masses per solar luminoisity, thus exceeding the ratio in the solar neighborhood by two orders of magnitude.
 * (p. 19)


 * Zwicky became the darling of reporters everywhere. ... Though the idea of exploding stars may have been floating around, it was Zwicky who made the concepts, and the name supernova, as familiar as relativity. He always had a way with the tart phrase, as well as the boldness necessary to force it into public use, even on the rare occasion, when these attempts failed. His term for black holes—"Objects Hades"—was a much more colorful term that manages to convey both the uniqueness of the objects and the hellish conditions that prevail inside them. Despite his repeated usage, however, that name never caught on. Popular magazines noted his birthday along with those of movie stars. He even made into the funny papers.