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Fred Whipple
(5 Nov 1906 - 30 Aug 2004)
American astronomer who proposed the “dirty snowball” model for comet nuclei. Whipple suggested (1950) that comets have icy cores inside thin insulating layers of dirt, and that jets of material ejected as a result of solar heating were the cause of orbital changes.
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Science Quotes by Fred Whipple (4 quotes)
Among the planets, Jupiter is definitely the solar system’s bad boy in disturbing the motions of all the planets and asteroids[, with] … a “lion’s share” of the mass of the entire planet family….
— Fred Whipple
In Earth, Moon and Planets (1963), 29.
Each planet acquires more individuality and becomes more interesting as additional facts accumulate.
— Fred Whipple
In Earth, Moon and Planets (1963), 2.
One single equation for the motion of the Moon covers some 250 large-size pages and represents the major effort of a lifetime.
— Fred Whipple
In Earth, Moon and Planets (1963), 28.
We could choose to do it now. We could choose to protect ourselves from asteroids and comets rather than from each other.
— Fred Whipple
Concluding remark for Ch. 23, 'Comets May Be Dangerous For Your Health', The Mystery of Comets (1985), 249.
See also:
- 5 Nov - short biography, births, deaths and events on date of Whipple's birth.
- The Mystery of Comets, by Fred L. Whipple and Daniel W.E. Green. - book suggestion.
In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion.
(1987) -- 
