George Robert Carruthers
George can decode messages from the farthest reaches of the universe
Get to know
George's superpower is UV Vision. He can also see into the infrared and ultraviolet portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. He puts his superpower to use by keeping watch across the universe for nefarious aliens.
The emblem on George's chest is the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. George was presented the award in 2012 by President Obama.
In the background, just to right of George, you can see a drawing of the gold-plated ultraviolet camera/spectrograph that George developed for the Apollo 16 mission.
THE DRAWING'S HIDDEN TREASURES
SCIENCE SUPERHERO IDENTITY
In this fact-file find out why we turned George into a Superhero
George was born October 1, 1939, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
George invented the ultraviolet camera for NASA to use when it launched Apollo 16 in 1972.
Henry Draper was a pioneer of astrophotography and photographed the spectrum of Jupiter in 1880. Like George, Henry loved astronomy
GEORGE'S TOP QUARKZ CARD
Ultraviolet light is not as "sharp" or powerful as the light being created from plasmas.
Full name: George Robert Carruthers
Born: 1939
Occupation: Physicist
Born: 1939
Occupation: Physicist
George is an inventor, physicist, engineer and space scientist. George was an inventive and inquisitive child.
About George
TRUE IDENTITY
Find out more about George
In this video you can find out more about George
Video credit: National Technical Association
At the age of 10 he built his first telescope out of cardboard tubing and lenses purchased using money he earned as a delivery boy. He quickly became an amateur astronomer. George received his PhD in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from the University of Illinois. He became an expert in ultraviolet radiation and his first major contribution was to lead the team that invented the far ultraviolet camera/spectrograph. This camera enabled the taking of 200 UV "photos," including views of newly discovered stars and nebulae.
WHAT'S A PHYSISTS?
Physics is about asking fundamental questions and trying to answer them by observing and experimenting
Video credit: ZAP Physics
What Do Physists Do?
Check out this video about How to Become an Astrophysicist
Video credit: StarTalk
Fun Facts!
A spectrograph breaks the light from a single material into its component colours the way a prism splits light into a rainbow.
George built his first telescope when he was just ten years old. Check out this great video to find out how telescopes work.
How do Telescopes work?
DID YOU KNOW ?
Make a homemade spectroscope with a few simple materials and explore the spectrum of different light source!
Want to make a Spectroscope?
Video Credit: BBC Earth Lab
Video Credit: K2B Craft
Fun Fact: Apollo 16 Astronauts Got the Farts, you can find out why in this video.
Did the Apollo 16 Astronauts Get the Farts ?
Video Credit: SciShow Space
A great explanation of how space telescopes work can be found here.
The colors of a rainbow are ordered according to their wavelength.
A spectrum is a rainbow! This rainbow is created when a beam of white light is broken into its component colours, like with a prism.
Want to discover more? Why not watch another video about George and learn more about this is remarkable scientist, or dive into the world of our science superheroes
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This video looks at George's groundbreaking work - by US Navy Research
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