John Wainwright Evans
| John Wainwright Evans | |
|---|---|
| Born |
May 14, 1909 New York City, New York, US |
| Died | October 31, 1999 (aged 90) Santa Fe, New Mexico |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | Astronomy |
| Known for | Evans Solar Facility |
| Notable awards | |
| Spouse | Betty Evans |
John Wainwright Evans (May 14, 1909 – October 31, 1999) was a solar astronomer born in New York City. He spent much of his career studying the sun and working with optics both of which earned him awards. The Evans Solar Facility at Sacramento Peak was named after him. Evans died in a murder–suicide with his wife in 1999.
Evans graduated from Swarthmore College in 1932 with a bachelor's degree in mathematics, and 1936 from Harvard University with a master's degree after spending some time in the University of Pennsylvania's astronomy department. In 1938 he was awarded a doctorate in astronomy by Harvard.
Evans taught for a year at the University of Minnesota, then at Mills College. While teaching in Oakland he worked at the Chabot Observatory and was appointed assistant professor. There he independently and belatedly invented the Lyot filter. In 1942 Evans moved to University of Rochester's Institute of Optics and developed optics for the military effort.
Between 1946 and 1952 he served as assistant superintendent of the High Altitude Observatory, working in both Boulder and Climax, Colorado. In 1952, he became the first director of the United States Air Force's new Upper Air Research Observatory, located at Sacramento Peak in southern New Mexico. The facility he directed was renamed the National Solar Observatory after the National Science Foundation took over responsibility for it in 1976. As director of the observatory Evans chose the name Sunspot, New Mexico, for the post office and community where the observatory was located.
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