View source for William Wilson Morgan

{{Short description|American astronomer}}
{{Infobox scientist
|name              = William Wilson Morgan
|image             =
|birth_date        = {{birth date|1906|1|3}}
|birth_place       = 
|death_date        = {{death date and age|1994|6|21|1906|1|3}}
|death_place       = 
|nationality       = [[United States|American]]
|ethnicity         = 
|field             = [[astronomy]], [[astrophysics]]
|work_institutions = [[Yerkes Observatory]]
|alma_mater        = [[University of Chicago]] (B.Sc.), (M.Sc.), (PhD)
|doctoral_advisor  = [[Otto Struve]]
|doctoral_students = [[Arne Slettebak]], [[Nancy Grace Roman]]
|known_for         = [[Bautz-Morgan classification]], [[cD Galaxy|cD galaxy type]], [[Stellar classification#Yerkes spectral classification|MK system]]
|influences        = 
|influenced        = 
|prizes            = [[Bruce Medal]] (1958)<br>[[Henry Draper Medal]] (1980)
}}
'''William Wilson Morgan''' (January 3, 1906 – June 21, 1994) was an American [[astronomer]] and [[astrophysics|astrophysicist]].<ref>{{cite journal|author=Osterbrock, Donald E.|authorlink=Donald Edward Osterbrock|title=Obituary: William W. Morgan|journal=Physics Today|date=December 1994|volume=47|issue=12|pages=82–83|doi=10.1063/1.2808763|bibcode=1994PhT....47l..82O|doi-access=free}}</ref> The principal theme in Morgan's work was stellar and galaxy [[Categorization|classification]]. He is also known for helping prove the existence of spiral arms in our galaxy. In addition to his scientific achievements he served as professor and astronomy director for the University of Chicago's [[Yerkes Observatory]] in Wisconsin and was the managing editor for [[George Hale]]'s Astrophysical Journal.

==Scientific achievements==
Along with [[Philip Childs Keenan|Philip Keenan]] he developed the [[Stellar classification#Yerkes spectral classification|MK system]] for the classification of stars through their [[Spectroscopy|spectra]]. He also developed several [[galaxy morphological classification]] systems, including the first systems to use the physical, quantifiable properties of galaxies, as opposed to simple, qualitative, eyeball estimates favoured by [[Edwin Hubble]]. He invented the now widely used classification [[cD Galaxy|cD]] for massive galaxies in the centres of [[galaxy clusters]]. In 1970, along with astronomer [[Laura P. Bautz]], they created the still-used [[Bautz-Morgan classification]] scheme for clusters, which identifies those containing cD galaxies as the richest, type I clusters.

He worked at [[Yerkes Observatory]] for much of his career, including acting as its director from 1960 to 1963.<ref name=Bio>{{cite web |url=http://www.nap.edu/readingroom.php?book=biomems&page=wmorgan.html |title=William Wilson Morgan |author=Osterbrock, Donald |publisher=The National Academies Press |accessdate=April 24, 2012}}</ref> Along with [[Donald Osterbrock]] and [[Stewart Sharpless]], he used distance measurements of [[Stellar classification|O and B type stars]] to show the existence of [[spiral arm]]s in the [[Milky Way]] Galaxy.

From 1947 to 1952, Morgan was managing editor of the [[The Astrophysical Journal|Astrophysical Journal]],<ref name=Bio /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Osterbrock |first=Donald E. |date=1995-01-01 |title=Founded in 1895 by George E. Hale and James E. Keeler: The Astrophysical Journal Centennial |url=https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1995ApJ...438....1O |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=438 |page=6 |doi=10.1086/175049 |bibcode=1995ApJ...438....1O |issn=0004-637X}}</ref> a publication originally started by [[George Hale]] to promote scientific cooperation between the world's astrophysicists.

==Education==
Morgan attended [[Washington and Lee University]] but left just before the start of his senior year. He began working as a research assistant at [[Yerkes Observatory]] and started taking classes there (Yerkes is affiliated with the [[University of Chicago]]). Morgan graduated from the [[University of Chicago]] in 1927 with a Bachelor of Science degree<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aip.org/history/ohilist/4786_1.html |title=Oral History Transcript – Dr. William Wilson Morgan |author=DeVorkin, David |publisher=The American Institute of Physics |accessdate=April 24, 2012 |archive-date=October 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012073925/http://www.aip.org/history/ohilist/4786_1.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> on the basis of transfer credits from Washington and Lee combined with his subsequent courses at [[Yerkes Observatory]]. While at UC/Yerkes, Morgan continued his post-graduate studies and received a doctorate in December 1931 under [[Otto Struve]].<ref>{{cite web | title=1988ARA&A..26....1M Page 2 | website=Astrophysics Data System | url=https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu//full/1988ARA%26A..26....1M/0000002.000.html | language=br | ref={{sfnref|Astrophysics Data System}} | access-date=2025-09-24}}</ref>

==Professorship==
Morgan continued on at the [[University of Chicago]] and became an assistant professor in 1936, full professor in 1947, and was promoted to distinguished service professor in 1966.<ref name=Bio />

One of his early graduate students in [[stellar classification]] was [[Nancy Grace Roman]], who went on to become NASA's first Chief of Astronomy.<ref name="Interview1980">{{cite interview |subject=Nancy G. Roman |interviewer=David DeVorkin |date=August 19, 1980 |publisher=Niels Bohr Library & Archives, American Institute of Physics |title=Oral Histories: Nancy G. Roman |place=College Park, MD, USA |url=http://www.aip.org/history-programs/niels-bohr-library/oral-histories/4846
}}</ref> Morgan was the chairman of the UC Department of Astronomy from 1960 to 1966.<ref name=Bio />

==Honors==
'''Awards and honors'''
*[[Bruce Medal]] (1958)<ref>{{cite web|title=Past Winners of the Catherine Wolfe Bruce Gold Medal|url=http://astrosociety.org/membership/awards/pastbruce.html|publisher=[[Astronomical Society of the Pacific]]|accessdate=24 February 2011}}</ref>
*[[Henry Norris Russell Lectureship]] (1961)<ref name=AAS>{{cite web|title=Grants, Prizes and Awards|url=http://aas.org/grants/awards.php#russell|publisher=[[American Astronomical Society]]|accessdate=24 February 2011|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222143439/http://www.aas.org/grants/awards.php#russell|archivedate=22 December 2010}}</ref>
*Fellow of the [[American Academy of Arts and Sciences]] (1964)<ref name=AAAS>{{cite web|title=Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter M|url=http://www.amacad.org/publications/BookofMembers/ChapterM.pdf|publisher=[[American Academy of Arts and Sciences]]|accessdate=22 April 2011}}</ref>
*[[Henry Draper Medal]] of the [[United States National Academy of Sciences|National Academy of Sciences]] (1980)<ref name=Draper>{{cite web|title=Henry Draper Medal|url=http://www.nasonline.org/about-nas/awards/henry-draper-medal.html|publisher=[[National Academy of Sciences]]|accessdate=24 February 2011}}</ref>
*[[Herschel Medal]] (1983)
*Golden Plate Award of the [[Academy of Achievement|American Academy of Achievement]] (1985)<ref>{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url=https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#science-exploration}}</ref>
'''Named after him'''
*[[Asteroid]] [[3180 Morgan]]

==See also==
* [[Bautz-Morgan classification]]
* [[Edwin Hubble]]
* [[Gérard de Vaucouleurs]]
* [[Galaxy morphological classification]]
* [[Stellar classification#Yerkes spectral classification|MK system]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/biomems/wmorgan.html Biography]
* {{Biographical Memoirs|morgan-w-w}}
*[https://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/scrc/findingaids/view.php?eadid=ICU.SPCL.MORGANWW Guide to the W. W. Morgan Papers circa 1905–1990] at the [https://www.lib.uchicago.edu/scrc/ University of Chicago Special Collections Research Center]
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, William Wilson}}
[[Category:1906 births]]
[[Category:1994 deaths]]
[[Category:American astronomers]]
[[Category:Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences]]
[[Category:University of Chicago faculty]]
[[Category:Washington and Lee University alumni]]