Born Brooklyn, New York, USA, 22 November 1908
Died Flagstaff, Arizona, USA, 13 September 1994
Arthur Adel was a pioneer in the identification of specific molecules in planetary atmospheres through his studies of planetary infrared spectra, through his fundamental experimental measurements of molecular and gas mixture spectra, and through observational studies of the Earth's atmosphere. He was born to immigrant orthodox Jewish parents, Morris Adel from Russia and Jennie (néeSchrieber) from Poland. The family relocated to Detroit, Michigan, where Adel received the majority of his precollegiate education while working part‐time in a variety of jobs. While in high school, Adel was uncertain of his future career path and took an extended curriculum of practical machine shop and other mechanical arts courses in addition to all the science and mathematics courses available. The mechanical skills thus acquired helped him pay for his college education and later proved of substantial...
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Selected References
Adel, Arthur. Letter to Spencer R. Weart, 23 June 1980. MB282. Niels Bohr Library, American Institute of Physics, College Park, Maryland.
———. Transcript of a Tape Recorded Interview with Robert W. Smith, 13 August 1987. OH30116. Niels Bohr Library, American Institute of Physics, College Park, Maryland.
Joseph, Monica. “The Contribution of Arthur Adel to Astronomical Infrared Spectroscopy,” an essay prepared in 1973 at Boston University. MB1482. Niels Bohr Library, American Institute of Physics, College Park, Maryland.
Russell, Henry Norris (1935). “The Analysis of Spectra and Its Application in Astronomy.” Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 95: 610–636. (George Darwin Lecture, 14 June 1935.)
Sinton, William M. (1986). “Through the Infrared with Logbook and Lantern Slides: A History of Infrared Spectroscopy from 1868 to 1960.” Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific 98: 246–251.
Walker, Richard L. (1994). “Arthur Adel, 1908–1994.” Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society 26: 1600–1601.
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Garstang, R.H. (2007). Adel, Arthur. In: Hockey, T., et al. The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-30400-7_18
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