Donald Howard Menzel
Theoretical astronomer, Harvard Observatory director, and UFO skeptic.
Donald Howard Menzel (April 11, 1901 – December 14, 1976) was a pioneering American theoretical astronomer and astrophysicist. His research established key facts about the solar chromosphere, stellar chemistry, the Martian atmosphere, and gaseous nebulae.
Born in Florence, Colorado, and raised in Leadville, Menzel learned Morse code from his father at a very young age. As a teenager, he built a chemistry lab in his cellar and a homemade radio transmitter, qualifying as a ham radio operator. An Eagle Scout skilled in cryptanalysis, he also loved the outdoors, hiking and fly fishing throughout his life. He married Florence Elizabeth Kreager in 1926; they had two daughters.
At sixteen, he entered the University of Denver to study chemistry. A boyhood friend, the solar eclipse of June 8, 1918, and the eruption of Nova Aquilae 1918 sparked his interest in astronomy. He earned a bachelor’s in chemistry in 1920 and a master’s in chemistry and mathematics in 1921, both from Denver. Summers from 1922 to 1924, he worked as a research assistant to Harlow Shapley at Harvard College Observatory. At Princeton, he earned a second master’s in astronomy (1923) and a Ph.D. in astrophysics (1924) under Henry Norris Russell, who inspired his turn to theoretical work. After teaching at the University of Iowa and Ohio State, he became an assistant professor at Lick Observatory in 1926, moving to Harvard in 1932.
During World War II, Menzel served as a lieutenant commander in the Navy, heading an intelligence division where he applied his cryptanalytic skills. Until 1955, he continued Navy work, tracking solar emissions and studying auroral effects on radio propagation. After the war, he became acting director of Harvard Observatory in 1952 and full director from 1954 to 1966. His colleague Dorrit Hoffleit recalled that one of his first acts was ordering his secretary to destroy a third of the observatory’s photographic plates, a permanent loss. The “Menzel Gap” refers to the 1953–1968 halt in plate-making, a cost-cutting measure. He retired from Harvard in 1971. From 1964 until his death, he was a State Department consultant for Latin American affairs.
Menzel was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1934), the American Philosophical Society (1943), and the National Academy of Sciences (1948).
Quick Facts
- Birth Date
- April 11, 1901
- Birth Place
- Florence, Colorado, US
- Death Date
- December 14, 1976 · April 11, 1901
- Death Place
- Boston, Massachusetts, US
- Field
- Astronomy, astrophysics, star formation
- Workplaces
- Lick Observatory, Harvard, Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian
- Education
- University of Denver / Princeton University
- Doctoral Advisor
- Henry Norris Russell
- Doctoral Students
- Jesse L. Greenstein, Elsa van Dien, Fred Whipple
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Menzel was born in Florence, Colorado, and raised in Leadville. He learned Morse code from his father, built a radio transmitter as a teenager, and qualified as a radio ham. He was an Eagle Scout specializing in cryptanalysis. His interest in astronomy was sparked by a boyhood friend, the solar eclipse of June 8, 1918, and the eruption of Nova Aquilae 1918. He studied chemistry at the University of Denver, then earned a Ph.D. in astrophysics at Princeton under Henry Norris Russell. After teaching at the University of Iowa and Ohio State, he joined Lick Observatory in 1926 and moved to Harvard in 1932.
During World War II, Menzel served as a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy, heading a division of intelligence that included deciphering enemy codes. After the war, he continued working with the Navy on radio-wave propagation. As director of Harvard Observatory, he ordered the destruction of a third of the astronomical photographic plates, a loss later called the 'Menzel Gap' (1953–1968). He led numerous solar eclipse expeditions, holding an informal record for the most observed total solar eclipses. He built a solar observatory at Climax, Colorado, and later studied gaseous nebulae, co-authoring fundamental principles of planetary nebula research. He wrote the first edition of A Field Guide to the Stars and Planets (1964). In one of his last papers, he concluded that black holes do not exist, calling them a myth. He also supported the exploded planet hypothesis for the asteroid belt.
Menzel was a science fiction author, publishing 'Fin's Funeral' in Galaxy Science Fiction (1965), and created watercolor paintings of alien scenes. He was a prominent UFO skeptic, authoring three books debunking UFOs as misidentifications of natural phenomena. He claimed his own UFO sighting on March 3, 1955, was a mirage of Sirius (though Steuart Campbell argued it was a mirage of Saturn).
Reader's Guide
Menzel's significance lies in his foundational contributions to theoretical astrophysics, particularly his discoveries regarding the solar chromosphere, stellar chemistry, the Martian atmosphere, and gaseous nebulae. His work with Lawrence Aller and James Gilbert Baker defined many fundamental principles of planetary nebula study. As director of Harvard Observatory, he oversaw operations during a transformative period, though his decision to halt plate-making and destroy existing plates created a notable gap in the astronomical record. His popular field guide became a best-seller and helped educate amateur astronomers. His strong skepticism about UFOs, expressed in three books and public appearances, made him one of the first prominent scientists to publicly engage with the topic. His legacy includes the informal record for most observed solar eclipses, later broken by his student Jay Pasachoff, and a symposium held in his honor at the Center for Astrophysics in 2001.
Did You Know?
- Menzel learned Morse code from his father and built a radio transmitter as a teenager, qualifying as a radio ham.
- He was an Eagle Scout specializing in cryptanalysis, a skill he later used in Navy intelligence during World War II.
- He held the informal record for the greatest number of observed solar eclipses, a title later broken by his student Jay Pasachoff.
- In one of his last papers, Menzel concluded that black holes do not exist, declaring them a myth.
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