Grim_Rita 4 Posted August 31, 2004 Fred Whipple - the astronomer who first correctly described comets as "dirty snowballs" - has died aged 97. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3614064.stm Did he not pass the DeathList famousness test? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Typhoid Harry 23 Posted August 31, 2004 Silly American that I am, this is the first person who came to mind... http://www.tvacres.com/admascots_mrwhipple.htm Not much of a TV culture over here, right? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Yeti 14 Posted August 31, 2004 He also predicted the coming of artificial satellites I thought Mr AC Clarke coined that idea. He discovered six comets, all of which were named after him. Not to be a pedant, and here's my astrophysics degree coming into play (so, yes, I had actually heard of the guy), but, duh, ALL comets are named after their discoverers. Even if its a space probe. Its sort of written into the rules for these things. They are not named after anything else. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Deathray 2,942 Posted September 8, 2019 Jolly good fellow. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
