1929-

Dutch-American Astronomer

In 1963 Dutch-American astronomer Maarten Schmidt discovered what are now called quasars, or quasi-stellar radio sources (QSOs). Having found what appeared to be invisible stars that emitted radio waves, he observed that the objects' light spectrum was like nothing ever seen. These source of ultra-intense radio emissions remain somewhat mysterious; they are no bigger than stars, yet they produce more energy than an entire galaxy. In later years, this fact has led to speculation that black holes are the source of quasars; as for Schmidt, he has continued to investigate the spectral qualities of quasars.

Born on December 28, 1929, Schmidt was raised in Groningen, Holland. He attended the University of Leiden, where he studied under Jan H. Oort and earned his Ph.D. in 1956. In 1959 he moved to the California Institute of Technology (Cal Tech), where he was initially concerned with questions involving the galaxy's...