Harold D. Babcock

Harold Delos Babcock (January 24 1882 – April 8 1968) was an American astronomer, and the father of Horace W. Babcock. Educated at the University of California, Berkeley, he worked at the Mount Wilson Observatory from 1907 until 1948. He specialized in solar spectroscopy and mapped the distribution of magnetic fields over the Sun's surface. With his son he revealed the existence of strong magnetic fields in certain stars. In 1953 he won the Bruce Medal

A crater on the Moon is named for him, as is asteroid 3167 Babcock (jointly named for him and his son).

External links

• Bruce Medal page
• Awarding of Bruce Medal

Obituaries

• Obs 88 (1968) 174 (one paragraph)
• QJRAS 10 (1969) 68