Allan Sandage

Allan Sandage at Mount Wilson-Palomar Observatory (http://www.phys-astro.sonoma.edu/brucemedalists/sa (N/A))

"It is clear to everyone that astronomy at all events compels the soul to look upwards, and draws it from the things of this world to the other." Allan Sandage changed the way astronomers think about the universe. His research and his ground-breaking discoveries inspired everyone around him and motivated people to advance the field of astronomy. I first became aware of Allan Sandage when I was looking for astronomers who could inspire me to pursue my passion in astronomy. I am inspired about the work that was completed and the research that was done by Sandage. I, a high school student, want to pursue a career in astronomy and achieve greatness like Sandage did.

Allan Sandage At Work (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/17/science/space/17 (Bart Bartholomew))

The Occupational Outlook Handbook website states that Astronomers and Physicists have the general goals of finding out how matter and energy interact with each other and also finding out the origins of the universe. They develop theories explaining the ways of the natural world, including the various forces and the formation of atoms. Aside from physicists, astronomers tend to "study planets, stars, galaxies, and other celestial bodies." (OOH). Astronomers like Sandage are curious about the structures of the universe and want to learn more. The median pay for astronomers and physicists in 2015 was $110,980. There is projected growth of 3% in the field by 2024. The career that is most related to astronomy is physics, which studies the universe as well. There have been many recent events that have been made notorious through the work of astronomers. Some recent historical events that have taken place include the Curiosity Rover landing on Mars, The Kepler Telescope finding new earth-like planets, and the first ever detailed photographs of Pluto by the Horizons Probe.

Portrait of Allan Sandage around time of interview (https://www.aip.org/history-programs/niels-bohr-li (AIP Emilio Segre Visual Archives, John Irwin Slide))

According to the Allan Sandage obituary published by the American Astronomical Society, Sandage grew up in a "thoroughly intellectual, university oriented atmosphere but also a peripatetic one taking him to Philadelphia and later to Illinois as his father rose in his career." Sandage's father was a professor who possessed a PhD, while his mother was the president of Graceland College's daughter. This intellectual environment most certainly put him on the path towards a highly intellectual career, which astronomy surely is. He explored the skies of Ohio with the telescope that his dad gave him. He recalls being inspired by his teacher at Miami University who told him to think critically. Sandage enrolled at Miami University in 1943 to major in physics, yet he was drafted to the Navy two years after attending. When Sandage was in graduate school in the early 1950s, he was an assistant for Edwin Hubble and studied insightful data on globular clusters. Throughout his career as an astronomer at Mount-Wilson Palomar, he made many discoveries, which made him a successful astronomer. He focused on measuring the distances between galaxies and finding the expansion rate of the universe. He doubled the perceived age of the universe, and changed Hubble's 250 km/s/Mpc down to 75, which is close to today's believed universal expansion rate. Allan Sandage passed away in 2010, but his discoveries are still very much alive in the science community.

Allan Sandage In Baltimore (https://inspirehep.net/record/1203258/plots (N/A))

During Sandage's career, he made many contributions to astronomers across the globe. According to Wikipedia, he published over 500 papers, still publishing several papers a year until his death in 2010. Sandage undoubtedly contributed to the studies of almost every astronomy organization and team. According to the American Astronomical Society, "every prize and honor normally bestowed on astronomers came to Sandage during his lifetime." Clearly, he was beloved in the scientific community. Now, even after his death he seems to have a lasting impact. The AAS notes that "he has already been the subject of contemporary writers, appearing as a character of considerable complexity in works by colleagues, associates, and competitors."

Allan Sandage In 1967 (https://inspirehep.net/record/1203258/plots (N/A))

I am already trying to take the steps of being a scientist in the future. I'm taking many advanced, honors courses and am taking my studies in mathematics seriously. I love math and science greatly, as they are my most favorite subjects. Allan Sandage was interested in astronomy from a young age and studied physics and later astronomy. I too, have been interested in astronomy from a young age and hope to pursue a career in a similar field. I am planning my high school classes accordingly to get into a highly-thought-of university to get me involved with other great minds and connections. Hopefully, being on the right path will set me up for a positive future to become a scientist, perhaps one as great as Allan Sandage.