Gerrit Verschuur
Encyclopedia
Gerrit L. Verschuur, PhD
, born in 1937 in Cape Town
, South Africa
, is a naturalized American scientist
who is best known for his work in radio astronomy
. Though a pioneer in that field—he has 50 years of experience—Verschuur is also an author
(he has written about astronomy
, natural disaster
s, and earth science
s), inventor, a self-employed IP Consultant, adjunct professor of physics
for the University of Memphis
, and a lifetime fan of Manchester United F.C.
Since 1996 he has been the Chief Scientist for Translucent Technologies, LLC; a company which is based in Memphis
, Tennessee
.
In 1992 Verschuur became a resident of the City of Lakeland
, which is located in Shelby County, Tennessee
, and is northeast of Memphis. In 2001 Verschuur was elected, and served a four year term as Commissioner
. In 2007 Verschuur was elected again and is currently serving another term as Commissioner; this one, for two years. At present, Verschuur is also the President of the Garner Lake Association. Since 1986 he has been married to Dr. Joan Schmelz, a fellow scientist whose specialty is solar astronomy
, specifically Coronal Loops
. Verschuur has one son who lives in England
.
A frequent lecturer, Verschuur has taught at the University of Manchester
, Rhodes University
, the universities of Colorado and Maryland, UCLA, and the University of California, Berkeley
, among others. He has been an annual speaker at Mid-South Stargaze, which is “the annual amateur astronomers conference and star party held at Rainwater Observatory in French Camp
,” Mississippi. In 1971 Verschuur was hired as the first Director of Fiske Planetarium for the University of Colorado at Boulder
, and in 1980 he worked with Dr. John Lilly
.
In his primary field of study, however, Verschuur "pioneered the measurement of the interstellar magnetic field using the 21-cm
Zeeman effect
technique." A thing which, according to Virginia Trimble
, for the first time allowed astronomer
s to "measure magnetic strengths and their place-to-place variations with some confidence."
. In 1936, his parents had emigrated from the Netherlands
and settled in Cape Town. Two years after he was born—in 1939—his parents moved again, choosing a suburb of Cape Town named Lakeside. While he was living there, Verschuur attended Muizenberg Junior School. Then, when his parents moved to Port Elizabeth in 1950, he attended Grey Junior and subsequently Grey High School.
After graduation he began a six-year stint at Rhodes University in Grahamstown
where he earned a B.Sc.
in 1957—Majors: Math
, Physics
, & Applied Math; a B.Sc.(Hons) of Physics in 1958; and a M.Sc
degree of physics, in 1960.
In December 1960 he sailed for Southampton
, England
on the stately Capetown Castle, a ship owned by the Union Castle Line
. It was one of the last passenger mail boats to ply the SA-England route, but was "sold for scrap in 1967."
Verschuur has one sibling who still lives in Cape Town.
gas clouds in our own galaxy
. If he is shown to be correct, much work relating to the Big Bang Theory would be undermined.
On December 10, 2007 his work with respect to COBE, WMAP, and HI
, was published in The Astrophysical Journal
. It is currently undergoing deeper statistical analysis.
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
, born in 1937 in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, is a naturalized American scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
who is best known for his work in radio astronomy
Radio astronomy
Radio astronomy is a subfield of astronomy that studies celestial objects at radio frequencies. The initial detection of radio waves from an astronomical object was made in the 1930s, when Karl Jansky observed radiation coming from the Milky Way. Subsequent observations have identified a number of...
. Though a pioneer in that field—he has 50 years of experience—Verschuur is also an author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
(he has written about astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
, natural disaster
Natural disaster
A natural disaster is the effect of a natural hazard . It leads to financial, environmental or human losses...
s, and earth science
Earth science
Earth science is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth. It is arguably a special case in planetary science, the Earth being the only known life-bearing planet. There are both reductionist and holistic approaches to Earth sciences...
s), inventor, a self-employed IP Consultant, adjunct professor of physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
for the University of Memphis
University of Memphis
The University of Memphis is an American public research university located in the Normal Station neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee and is the flagship public research university of the Tennessee Board of Regents system....
, and a lifetime fan of Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
Since 1996 he has been the Chief Scientist for Translucent Technologies, LLC; a company which is based in Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
.
In 1992 Verschuur became a resident of the City of Lakeland
Lakeland, Tennessee
Lakeland is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and a suburb of Memphis. The population was 12,430 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Lakeland is located at ....
, which is located in Shelby County, Tennessee
Shelby County, Tennessee
Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the state's largest both in terms of population and geographic area, with a population of 927,644 at the 2010 census...
, and is northeast of Memphis. In 2001 Verschuur was elected, and served a four year term as Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission ....
. In 2007 Verschuur was elected again and is currently serving another term as Commissioner; this one, for two years. At present, Verschuur is also the President of the Garner Lake Association. Since 1986 he has been married to Dr. Joan Schmelz, a fellow scientist whose specialty is solar astronomy
Solar astronomy
Solar astronomy is stellar astronomy of the sun.*Timeline of solar astronomy*Solar telescopes*List of solar telescopes*Coronagraph*Helioseismology-Sun size relative to its distance from Proxima Centauri:...
, specifically Coronal Loops
Coronal loop
Coronal loops form the basic structure of the lower corona and transition region of the Sun. These highly structured and elegant loops are a direct consequence of the twisted solar magnetic flux within the solar body. The population of coronal loops can be directly linked with the solar cycle; it...
. Verschuur has one son who lives in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
A frequent lecturer, Verschuur has taught at the University of Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
, Rhodes University
Rhodes University
Rhodes University is a public research university located in Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, established in 1904. It is the province’s oldest university, and is one of the four universities in the province...
, the universities of Colorado and Maryland, UCLA, and the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, among others. He has been an annual speaker at Mid-South Stargaze, which is “the annual amateur astronomers conference and star party held at Rainwater Observatory in French Camp
French Camp
French Camp can refer to:* French Camp, California, in San Joaquin County* French Camp, Amador County, California* French Camp, Yolo County, California* French Camp, Mississippi...
,” Mississippi. In 1971 Verschuur was hired as the first Director of Fiske Planetarium for the University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
, and in 1980 he worked with Dr. John Lilly
John C. Lilly
John Cunningham Lilly was an American physician, neuroscientist, psychoanalyst, psychonaut, philosopher and writer....
.
In his primary field of study, however, Verschuur "pioneered the measurement of the interstellar magnetic field using the 21-cm
Hydrogen line
The hydrogen line, 21 centimeter line or HI line refers to the electromagnetic radiation spectral line that is created by a change in the energy state of neutral hydrogen atoms. This electromagnetic radiation is at the precise frequency of 1420.40575177 MHz, which is equivalent to the vacuum...
Zeeman effect
Zeeman effect
The Zeeman effect is the splitting of a spectral line into several components in the presence of a static magnetic field. It is analogous to the Stark effect, the splitting of a spectral line into several components in the presence of an electric field...
technique." A thing which, according to Virginia Trimble
Virginia Trimble
Virginia Louise Trimble is an astronomer specializing in the structure and evolution of stars and galaxies, and the history of astronomy.-Life:...
, for the first time allowed astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
s to "measure magnetic strengths and their place-to-place variations with some confidence."
Biography
Gerrit L. Verschuur was born in 1937 in Cape Town, South Africa, at the foot of Table MountainTable Mountain
Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa, and is featured in the flag of Cape Town and other local government insignia. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the cableway or hiking to the top...
. In 1936, his parents had emigrated from the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and settled in Cape Town. Two years after he was born—in 1939—his parents moved again, choosing a suburb of Cape Town named Lakeside. While he was living there, Verschuur attended Muizenberg Junior School. Then, when his parents moved to Port Elizabeth in 1950, he attended Grey Junior and subsequently Grey High School.
After graduation he began a six-year stint at Rhodes University in Grahamstown
Grahamstown
Grahamstown is a city in the Eastern Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa and is the seat of the Makana municipality. The population of greater Grahamstown, as of 2003, was 124,758. The population of the surrounding areas, including the actual city was 41,799 of which 77.4% were black,...
where he earned a B.Sc.
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in 1957—Majors: Math
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, & Applied Math; a B.Sc.(Hons) of Physics in 1958; and a M.Sc
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degree of physics, in 1960.
In December 1960 he sailed for Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on the stately Capetown Castle, a ship owned by the Union Castle Line
Union-Castle Line
The Union-Castle Line was a prominent British shipping line that operated a fleet of passenger liners and cargo ships between Europe and Africa from 1900 to 1977. It was formed from the merger of the Union Line and Castle Shipping Line...
. It was one of the last passenger mail boats to ply the SA-England route, but was "sold for scrap in 1967."
Verschuur has one sibling who still lives in Cape Town.
Current Research
Verschuur is at the center of a recent debate over the age of the universe. He claims that images from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) are not pictures of the universe in its early form, but rather hydrogenHydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
gas clouds in our own galaxy
Galaxy
A galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system that consists of stars and stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an important but poorly understood component tentatively dubbed dark matter. The word galaxy is derived from the Greek galaxias , literally "milky", a...
. If he is shown to be correct, much work relating to the Big Bang Theory would be undermined.
On December 10, 2007 his work with respect to COBE, WMAP, and HI
Hydrogen line
The hydrogen line, 21 centimeter line or HI line refers to the electromagnetic radiation spectral line that is created by a change in the energy state of neutral hydrogen atoms. This electromagnetic radiation is at the precise frequency of 1420.40575177 MHz, which is equivalent to the vacuum...
, was published in The Astrophysical Journal
Astrophysical Journal
The Astrophysical Journal is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering astronomy and astrophysics. It was founded in 1895 by the American astronomers George Ellery Hale and James Edward Keeler. It publishes three 500-page issues per month....
. It is currently undergoing deeper statistical analysis.
Books
- "The Invisible Universe: The Story of Radio Astronomy."
Springer-Verlag, New York, 1974
"Nominated for National Book AwardNational Book AwardThe National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
- then disqualified because I was not a US citizen at the time." - "Galactic and Extragalactic Radio Astronomy."
Springer-Verlag, New York, 1974
Co-edited with K.I. Kellerman
ISBN 0-387-06504-0 - "Cosmic Evolution: An Introduction to Astronomy."
Houghton MifflinHoughton MifflinHoughton Mifflin Harcourt is an educational and trade publisher in the United States. Headquartered in Boston's Back Bay, it publishes textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, reference works, and fiction and non-fiction for both young readers and adults.-History:The company was...
, 1978
Co-Author with George B. Field and Cyril PonnamperumaCyril PonnamperumaDr. Cyril Andrew Ponnamperuma was a Sri Lankan scientist in the fields of chemical evolution and the origin of life.-Biography:...
ISBN 0395253217 - "Starscapes."
Little Brown & Co., Boston, 1977
ISBN 0316900303 - "Cosmic Catastrophes."
Addison Wesley Longman Publishing Co., 1978
ISBN 0201080990 - "Interstellar Matters: Essays on Curiosity and Astronomical Discovery."
Springer-Verlag, 1989
ISBN 0387968148 - "Hidden Attraction: The History and Mystery of Magnetism."
Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, 1996, (First Published 1993)
ISBN 0195106555 - "Impact!: The Threat of Comets and Asteroids."
Oxford University Press, 1996
ISBN 0195101057 - "The Invisible Universe: The Story of Radio Astronomy."
Springer, 2nd. ed., 2007
ISBN 978-0-387-30816-6
Encyclopaedia Articles
- "Interstellar Medium"
Encyclopædia Britannica
(15th edition) Volume I-J. pp 790–800, 1973 - "Interstellar Matter"
Encyclopædia Britannica
(Asian edition) 1986 - "Magnetic Fields and Galactic Structure."
Reference Encyclopedia of Astronomy and Astrophysics.
Ed. S. Maran, Van Nostrand Rheinhold, New York, 1992