W. Albert Hiltner

W. Albert Hiltner
Born	27 August 1914  North Creek
Died	30 September 1991  (aged 77)
Alma mater	University of Michigan University of Toledo
Occupation	Astronomer
Employer	University of Michigan (1970–) Yerkes Observatory (1943–)

William Albert Hiltner (27 August 1914 – 30 September 1991) was an American astronomer, noted for his work leading up to the discovery of interstellar polarization.

Biography

Hiltner's parents were John Nicholas and Ida Lavina (née Schafer) Hiltner. His undergrad was at the University of Toledo and his graduate studies were at the University of Michigan culminating in a doctorate in astrophysics in 1942.

He was an early practitioner of precision stellar photometry, and a pioneering observer of the optical counterparts of celestial x-ray sources. Director of the Yerkes Observatory for many years, while there he designed and built a rotatable telescope for polarization studies and developed photometric instrumentation. He was the acting director of the Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory, then president of the Associated Universities for Research in Astronomy from 1968 until 1971, and was appointed Director of the University of Michigan Detroit Observatory in 1970, a post he held until 1982. He established MDM Observatory and led the construction of the Hiltner Telescope, which is named for him.

Awards and honors

Asteroid 4924 Hiltner, discovered by astronomer Schelte J. Bus in 1981, was named in his memory. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 16 May 1992 (M.P.C. 20162).