Einar A. Tandberg-Hanssen (6 August 1921 – 22 July 2011) was a Norwegian-American astrophysicist with a specialty in

solar physics Solar physics is the branch of astrophysics that specializes in the study of the Sun. It intersects with many disciplines of pure physics and astrophysics. Because the Sun is uniquely situated for close-range observing (other stars cannot be re ...

Background

Tandberg-Hanssen was born in

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

, Norway. He was the son of Birger Tandberg-Hanssen (1883-1951) and Mona Meier (1895-1967). He grew up in

Langesund is the administrative centre of Bamble Municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The town is located on a peninsula along the Langesundsfjorden near the Skaggerak coast. The town of Stathelle lies about to the northwest. The town was establi ...

and

Skien Skien () is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Grenland, although historically it belonged to Grenmar/Skiensfjorden, while Grenland referred the Norsjø area and Bø. The administrative ...

where he finished his secondary education in 1941. He took his undergraduate degree in astronomy at the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo (; ) is a public university, public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation#Europe, oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick Univ ...

in 1950, and after fellowships at

Institut d'astrophysique de Paris The Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris (translated: Paris Institute of Astrophysics) is a research institute in Paris, France. The Institute is part of the Sorbonne University and is associated with the CNRS Centre national de la recherche scientif ...

Caltech The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private university, private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small g ...

High Altitude Observatory The High Altitude Observatory (HAO) is a laboratory of the US National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). HAO operates the Mauna Loa Solar Observatory on Hawaii (island), Hawaii and a research institute in Boulder, Colorado. Its staff condu ...

and the

Cavendish Laboratory The Cavendish Laboratory is the Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge, and is part of the School of Physical Sciences. The laboratory was opened in 1874 on the New Museums Site as a laboratory for experimental physics and is named ...

, he took his doctorate at the University of Oslo in 1960. His thesis was titled ''An Investigation of the Temperature Conditions in Prominence with a Special Study of the Excitation of Helium''.

Career

Tandberg-Hanssen was briefly a professor at the University in Oslo, before working at the High Altitude Observatory in

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city in Boulder County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most ...

from 1961 to 1974. He was then a senior research scientist, later deputy director at the Space Science Laboratory at NASA's

Marshall Space Flight Center Marshall Space Flight Center (officially the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center; MSFC), located in Redstone Arsenal, Alabama (Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville postal address), is the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government's ...

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is the List of municipalities in Alabama, most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population of the city is estimated to be 241,114 in 2024, making it the List of United States cities by population, 100th-most populous ...

. From 1987 to 1993 he was the director of the Space Sciences Lab. After retiring, he also served part-time as professor of physics at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

. Tandberg-Hanssen was vice president of Commission 10 of the

International Astronomical Union The International Astronomical Union (IAU; , UAI) is an international non-governmental organization (INGO) with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreach, education, and developmen ...

from 1979 to 1982 and president from 1982 to 1985. He was president of the Federation of Astronomical and Geophysical Data Analysis Services from 1990 to 1994. He was a fellow of the

Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters (, DNVA) is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway. Its purpose is to support the advancement of science and scholarship in Norway. History The Royal Frederick University in Christiania was establis ...

from 1982 and received the

NASA Exceptional Service Medal The NASA Exceptional Service Medal is an award granted to U.S. government employees for significant sustained performance characterized by unusual initiative or creative ability that clearly demonstrates substantial improvement in engineering, a ...

. He died in July 2011 in Huntsville.

Selected works

*''Solar Activity'' (1967) *''Solar Prominences'' (1974) *''The Physics of Solar Flares'' (1988) *''The Nature of Solar Prominences'' (1995) *''The Physics of Solar Flares'' (2009) *''Solar and Interplanetary Dynamics'' (2013)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tandberg-Hanssen, Einar 1921 births 2012 deaths Scientists from Bergen University of Oslo alumni Academic staff of the University of Oslo NASA people University of Alabama faculty Norwegian astrophysicists American astrophysicists Norwegian emigrants to the United States Members of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters Recipients of the NASA Exceptional Service Medal