532:. In this model, the outer silicates of the body hitting the Earth would be vaporized, whereas a metallic core would not. The more volatile materials that were emitted during the collision would escape the Solar System, whereas silicates would tend to coalesce. Hence, most of the collisional material sent into orbit would consist of silicates, leaving the coalescing Moon deficient in iron and volatile materials, such as water.
543:. Cameron was able to use increasingly sophisticated computer models to show that such a collision could produce an Earth-Moon system with the correct mass, spin, and orbital momentum. The giant-impact theory gained mainstream acceptance as the scientific explanation for the origin of the Moon beginning in the 1980s.
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showed that the Moon was composed of the same material as the mantle of the Earth. This surprising result was still unexplained in the early 1970s, when
Cameron began work on an explanation of the Moon's origins. He theorized that the formation of the Moon was the result of a tangential impact of an
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were insufficient to calculate complex networks of nuclear reactions. He used of some of the first computers in Canada, originally purchased for use by the accounting department at the laboratory, to do the calculations. At first, he was able to give programs on trays of punch cards to the
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While
Cameron became a naturalized United States citizen in 1963 in order to receive the security clearances necessary to work in the US space program, he frequently returned to visit his native Canada and remained active in Canadian politics throughout his life.
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In 1959, after growing frustrated with what he saw as the
Canadian government's lack of interest in investing in science, Cameron emigrated to the United States, which had just seen a major expansion of funding for space-science research due to the
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Five days before his death in 2005, the 2006 Bethe Prize for his work on nuclear astrophysics was announced. Cameron would receive this award for his 50-year-old work on stellar nucleosynthesis, which was still an area of active research.
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accountants to run on his behalf. However, as his calculations increased in sophistication and the computing resources at Chalk River improved, he switched to work during the night and on weekends when the machines were not in use.
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of about 200,000 years, which was much shorter than the lifetime of the star. Cameron realized that this meant the technetium must have formed inside the stars where it was observed, by bombarding other elements with
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499:, where he outlined a unified model of the formation of the Solar System, from the Sun's formation from the collapse of cloud of gas and dust, the subsequent formation of a
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366:. There he hoped to apply advances from the rapidly developing field of nuclear physics to the field of astrophysics. In particular, he wished to calculate the
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achieved a successful Moon landing in 1969, the former classmate sent a cheque to settle the bet, which
Cameron had framed and hung on the wall in his office.
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381:, which could produce the neutrons necessary to produce the technetium observed by Merrill. He quickly realized that traditional computational methods and
348:, Cameron decided to switch fields study astrophysics. Having never taken an astronomy class, he purchased several graduate-level textbooks, subscribed to
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234:. He recalls addressing all men as “Doctor” as a four-year-old, noting it was "clearly an early attempt at forming a hypothesis based on limited data."
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Oral history interview transcript for
Alastair G. W. Cameron on 10 February 2003, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives
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present a similar, independent model at a conference in 1974, Cameron began a several decade-long collaboration with
Hartmann to develop the
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out of material from the disk. When an audience member asked, “What did you do on the seventh day?” he reportedly responded, “I rested.”
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In 1940 (When
Cameron was only 15 years old), he made a bet with a high school classmate that man would land on the
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483:, Cameron became interested in what the abundances of radioactive isotopes can tell us about the formation of the
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of a Mars-sized object with the early Earth, and was an early adopter of computer technology in astrophysics.
335:. Since this element has no stable isotopes, the observed technetium would experience radioactive decay with
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and remained there for 26 years. From 1976 to 1982 he was chairman of the Space
Science Board of the
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David Arnett, "A. G. W. Cameron", Biographical
Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences (2017)
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Cameron returned to Canada in 1954, taking a position at the Chalk River
Laboratory operated by
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944:"Elements from the stars: The unexpected discovery that upended astrophysics 66 years ago"
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American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives, Oral History Interviews
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accelerator. In 1952, earned the first PhD awarded in physics from the university.
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After finishing his PhD, he spent two years as an assistant professor at the
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1199:"Obituary: Alastair G.W. Cameron, Noted Astrophysicist and Space Scientist"
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Cameron died on October 3, 2005, from heart failure. He was 80 years old.
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After his retirement from Harvard in 1999, Cameron held a position at the
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David, Arnett (2017). "A. G. W. Cameron 1925-2005, Biographical Memoir".
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1115:"Citation for the Award of the Leonard Medal to A. G. W. Cameron"
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in Physics and Mathematics. During the summers, he worked at the
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688:"Alastair G. W. Cameron, 80, Theorist on Creation of Moon, Dies"
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226:, Manitoba, to parents of Scottish descent. His father, born in
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Cameron married Elizabeth MacMillan in 1955. She died in 2001.
194:(21 June 1925 – 3 October 2005) was an American–Canadian
1155:"2006 Hans A. Bethe Prize Recipient: Alastair G.W. Cameron"
427:), helped to publicise and direct research in the field of
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and space scientist who was an eminent staff member of the
1175:"Biographies of Aerospace Officials and Policymakers, A-D"
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Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
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After learning about the 1960 discovery of an excess of
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and other red variable stars by the American astronomer
344:. Excited by this clue to the astrophysical origins of
210:, advanced the theory that the Moon was created by the
994:"Cameron, Alastair G. W. (Graham Walter) (1925-2005)"
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Cameron, A. G. W. (1999). "Adventures in Cosmogony".
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451:. In 1973 he became a professor of astronomy at
942:Spyrou, Artemis; Schatz, Hendrik (2 May 2018).
919:"Honorary Degrees - University of Saskatchewan"
407:elements. This work by Cameron, along with the
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751:"Alastair Cameron, Astrophysicist, 1925-2005"
354:, and began an intense period of self-study.
313:While at the Ames lab, he read an article in
206:. He was one of the founders of the field of
8:
588:1983 NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal
392:Nuclear Reactions in Stars and Nucleogenesis
785:Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics
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878:"Obituary: Alastair Graham Walter Cameron"
29:
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1530:Fellows of the American Physical Society
302:at the university, which was run by the
1018:"Fellows | The Royal Society of Canada"
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323:), about the detection of the element
304:United States Atomic Energy Commission
192:Alastair G. W. (Graham Walter) Cameron
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439:. He held academic positions at the
595:of the National Academy of Sciences
445:Goddard Institute for Space Studies
158:Goddard Institute for Space Studies
27:Canadian astrophysicist (1925–2005)
1205:. October 21, 2005. Archived from
1142:10.1111/j.1945-5100.1995.tb01109.x
441:California Institute of Technology
260:, a Canadian research facility on
25:
1525:University of Saskatchewan alumni
1500:20th-century Canadian astronomers
715:"Alastair Graham Walter Cameron"
620:Henry Norris Russell Lectureship
491:. In 1975, he gave a seminar at
475:due to the radioactive decay of
411:(published in the same year by
571:R.M. Petrie Prize Lecture Award
364:Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
548:Lunar and Planetary Laboratory
519:Samples brought back from the
497:The Origin of the Solar System
377:reactions inside the cores of
279:using the university's new 25
1:
1520:University of Manitoba alumni
1237:Laudatio from the Bethe Prize
624:American Astronomical Society
467:Formation of the Solar System
222:Alastair Cameron was born in
835:National Academy of Sciences
805:10.1146/annurev.astro.37.1.1
584:National Academy of Sciences
524:object at least the size of
457:National Academy of Sciences
268:. Under the supervision of
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1515:Harvard University faculty
1113:Wasserburg, G. J. (1995),
604:American Geophysical Union
503:, to the formation of the
266:University of Saskatchewan
241:within 40 years. When the
106:University of Saskatchewan
1160:American Physical Society
1090:"J. Lawrence Smith Medal"
634:American Physical Society
578:American Physical Society
351:the Astrophysical Journal
185:
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232:Manitoba Medical College
218:Early life and education
1354:Friedrich K. Thielemann
797:1999ARA&A..37....1C
593:J. Lawrence Smith Medal
565:Royal Society of Canada
541:giant-impact hypothesis
358:Stellar nucleosynthesis
120:stellar nucleosynthesis
1393:Silvia Torres-Peimbert
1383:Christopher J. Pethick
1342:Alastair G. W. Cameron
1324:Michael C. F. Wiescher
558:Awards and recognition
389:In 1957, he published
368:nuclear cross sections
310:particle accelerator.
258:Chalk River Laboratory
254:University of Manitoba
101:University of Manitoba
34:Alastair G. W. Cameron
1300:Edwin Ernest Salpeter
998:www.daviddarling.info
874:Wasserburg, Gerald J.
552:University of Arizona
515:Formation of the Moon
327:in the variable star
1510:People from Winnipeg
1042:"APS Fellow Archive"
614:Meteoritical Society
582:1976 Member of the
481:Richardton meteorite
429:nuclear astrophysics
208:nuclear astrophysics
130:Petrie Prize Lecture
1485:Canadian physicists
1294:John Norris Bahcall
1278:Hans A. Bethe Prize
1134:1995Metic..30..131W
897:2006PhT....59a..68W
853:2017arXiv170805429A
600:Harry H. Hess Medal
576:1972 Fellow of the
563:1961 Fellow of the
509:terrestrial planets
501:protoplanetary disk
489:interstellar medium
316:Science News Letter
250:Bachelor of Science
18:Alastair GW Cameron
1429:Keith Alison Olive
1417:Vassiliki Kalogera
1066:"A. G. W. Cameron"
968:"Alastair Cameron"
755:The Globe and Mail
453:Harvard University
449:Yeshiva University
298:and worked at the
296:Iowa State College
204:Harvard University
168:Harvard University
163:Yeshiva University
92:Canadian, American
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1423:Stuart L. Shapiro
1405:Karl Ludwig Kratz
1094:www.nasonline.org
1070:www.nasonline.org
905:10.1063/1.2180186
421:William A. Fowler
417:Geoffrey Burbidge
413:Margaret Burbidge
397:chemical elements
248:Cameron earned a
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143:Scientific career
16:(Redirected from
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1399:George M. Fuller
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1318:Gordon Baym
1122:Meteoritics
1046:www.aps.org
791:(1): 1–36.
383:slide rules
308:synchrotron
89:Citizenship
1479:Categories
1306:Igal Talmi
1280:recipients
1184:2018-11-14
1099:2018-11-14
1075:2018-11-14
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1027:2018-11-14
1022:rsc-src.ca
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978:2018-11-12
953:2019-10-26
928:2018-10-31
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760:2018-10-31
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667:References
505:gas giants
477:iodine-129
425:Fred Hoyle
325:technetium
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1375:2011-2020
1286:1998-2010
813:0066-4146
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409:BFH paper
405:r-process
337:half-life
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200:Astronomy
180:Leon Katz
116:r-process
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692:NY Times
655:See also
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