Nationality Dutch Role Astronomer Education Utrecht University | Known for 21 cm hyperfine line Name Hendrik van Notable students Bram van Leer | |
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Born 19 November 1918Utrecht, the Netherlands ( 1918-11-19 ) Notable awards Henry Draper Medal (1955)Eddington Medal (1955)Rumford Medal (1964)Bruce Medal (1978)Karl Schwarzschild Medal (1995) Books Light Scattering by Small Particles, Multiple Light Scattering: Tables, Formulas, and Applications Awards | ||
Institutions University of Leiden | ||
Hendrik Christoffel "Henk" van de Hulst (19 November 1918 – 31 July 2000) was a Dutch astronomer and mathematician.
In 1944, while a student in Utrecht, he predicted the existence of the 21 cm hyperfine line of neutral interstellar hydrogen. After this line was discovered, he participated, with Jan Oort and C.A. Muller, in the effort to use radio astronomy to map out the neutral hydrogen in our galaxy, which first revealed its spiral structure.
He spent most of his career at the University of Leiden, retiring in 1984. He published widely in astronomy, and dealt with the solar corona, and interstellar clouds. After 1960 he was a leader in international space research projects.
In 1956 he became member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.
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Named after him