July 25, 1920: The birth of Chushiro Hayashi
Today in the history of astronomy, a future physics prizewinner is born.
Among the many awards and honors bestowed on Chushiro Hayashi was the Kyoto Prize, Japan’s highest award for achievement in the arts or sciences. Credit: Inamori Foundation/Wikimedia Commons
Born on July 25, 1920, Chushiro Hayashi graduated from the University of Tokyo with a degree in physics in 1942. After World War II service in the navy, he returned to school, finishing his doctorate in 1954 and becoming a professor at Kyoto University in 1957. An innovator, he applied fundamental physics to astronomy and created pioneering models of stellar and planetary evolution, including the Kyoto model of solar system formation. He also discovered the Hayashi phase, a period during a star’s birth when it is extremely bright and active. The recipient of numerous prizes and honors for his work, he passed away in 2010.
Elisa Neckar is senior production editor of Astronomy magazine, and the editor of the Today in the History of Astronomy feature on Astronomy.com.
