caption work_institution nationality field birth_date known_for residence image article_title prizes alma_mater
eugene parker -lrb- 2007 -rrb- university of chicago american astrophysicist 10 june 1927 parker spiral solar magnetic field shape united states prof. eugene parker from university of chicago.jpg eugene parker
 arctowski -lrb- 1978 -rrb- national medal of science william bowie medal medal james clerk maxwell prize kyoto prize -lrb- 1969 -rrb- george ellery hale prize michigan state university caltech
eugene parker

eugene n. parker -lrb- born june 10 , 1927 -rrb- is an american solar astrophysicist who received his b.s. degree in physics from michigan state university in 1948 and ph.d. from caltech in 1951 .
in the mid-1950s parker developed the theory on the supersonic solar wind and predicted the parker spiral shape of the solar magnetic field in the outer solar system .
in 1987 , parker proposed that the solar corona might be heated by myriad tiny `` nanoflares '' , miniature brightenings resembling solar flares that would occur all over the surface of the sun .
parker was elected to the national academy of sciences in 1967 .
as of early 2005 , he was still engaged in active research at the university of chicago .
his daughter and son-in-law are both faculty members at michigan state university .
parker spent four years at the university of utah and has been at the university of chicago since 1955 , where he has held positions in the physics department , the astronomy and astrophysics department and the enrico fermi institute .
he is the leading authority on the solar wind and the effects of magnetic fields in the heliosphere .
his work has greatly increased understanding of the solar corona , the solar wind , the magnetic fields of both the earth and the sun , and their complex electromagnetic interactions .
the theoretical models which he developed in part by looking at comet tails have in recent years been confirmed by spacecraft .
his books , especially `` cosmical magnetic fields '' , have educated generations of investigators .
his most recent book includes the effects of magnetic fields of planets , stars , and galaxies on x-ray emissions .
he also wrote about the dangers of space radiation for future interplanetary missions .
