Eugene Parker Birthday & Fun Facts

Eugene Parker Birthday Highlights

Birth Name

Eugene Parker

Place Of Birth

Houghton, USA

Age

96 years old

Birth Date

June 10 1927

Eugene Parker Facts

Child Star?

no

Occupation

Solar Physicist and Plasma Physicist

Education & Qualifications

Caltech

Net Worth

$8,000,000

Current Partner

Niesje

Children

Eric Parker, Joyce Parker

Parents

Glenn Parker, Helen Parker

Eugene Newman Parker, commonly known as Eugene Parker, was a solar physicist who studied complex physics topics like solar wind, cosmic rays, magnetic fields, and magnetic monopoles.

He was also a plasma physicist, a study related to one of the fundamental states of matter. Eugene Parker was one of the most popular physicists who put forward his idea regarding the spiral shape of the solar wind and the magnetic field present in the outer solar system in the early ’50s. 

He also proposed another idea regarding the presence of nanoflares, a small episodic heating event, to explain the coronal heating problem in 1987. Parker received a medal from the American Physical Society, in 2018, for his achievement in the research field for more than 60 years for performing research regarding space, plasma, and astrophysics. Eugene Parker made money from his successful solar and plasma physicist career.

What was Eugene Parker’s net worth?

Eugene Parker's net worth at the time of his death was $8 million.

How much did Eugene Parker earn per year?

No details are available on his annual income.

How tall is Eugene Parker?

No details are available regarding the height and weight of Eugene Parker.

How old was Eugene Parker?

Eugene Parker was born on June 10, 1927; he was 94 years old when he died on March 15, 2022, at his home in Chicago.

Eugene Parker hails from Houghton, Michigan, US, and belongs to the American nationality. His childhood details are unknown as per the media sources.

Eugene completed his bachelor’s degree in 1948 by majoring in Physics at Michigan State University. In 1951, Eugene received a doctorate degree from Caltech University.

Eugene Parker did four years of postdoctoral research at the University of Utah, then joined the University of Chicago and spent almost the rest of his life at the University of Chicago. Parker worked in several departments like physics, astronomy, and astrophysics and served at Enrico Fermi Institute. In 1967, Eugene became a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a US non-profit, non-governmental organization.

Who was Eugene Parker's partner?

Eugene Parker married Niesje and had two children, Eric Parker and Joyce Parker. The couple lived happily together for almost 67 years until Parker’s death.

Best Known For…

Parker was best known for his major works like the prediction of the Sweet-Parker model, the theory related to the solar wind, and the prediction of the shape of the solar magnetic field.

Parker was also known for the parker solar probe, and it was the first time that NASA named its space probe ‘Parker Solar Probe’ to honor Parker, the first living person to be honored by NASA.

This solar physicist acquired his doctorate from Caltech University and spent four years doing his postdoctoral studies at the University of Utah.

Parker put forward his idea regarding the theoretical illustration of the solar wind and identified the shape of the solar magnetic field.

A solar magnetic field will be present in the outer part of the solar system.

Being a solar and plasma physicist, Eugene Parker identified that the solar magnetic field would be in a parker spiral shape.

However, the astronomical network rejected Parker’s illustration model due to negative remarks from three reviewers and stopped his illustration theory from getting published in the Journal.

The Astrophysical Journal’s editor supported Eugene Parker in publishing his paper despite the terrible remarks from the reviewers.

In 1962, however, with the assistance of satellite observation, the theoretical thoughts of Eugene Parker were confirmed by the Mariner 2 mission.

The presence of 'nanoflares –is something that resembles similar to solar flares,' is first predicted by Eugene Parker. He put forward his idea regarding the existence of flares to look for the perfect solution to the coronal heating issue.

The ideas, solutions, and theoretical works identified by Eugene Parker helped understand the study of electromagnetic interactions in the magnetic fields on both the Earth and the Sun.

Charity Work

As per the media sources, no details are available regarding the charity works of Eugene Parker on social media sites.

What awards did Eugene Parker win?

In 1969, Eugene Parker was honored with the Arctowski Medal from The National Academy of Sciences, a non-profit, governmental organization. The Astronomical Society awarded Parker the Bruce Medal in 1997.

In 2020, the Astronomical field honored him with the Crafoord Prize. Eugene Parker was awarded the James Clerk Maxwell Prize for his contributions to the plasma physics domain.

Eugene Parker acquired the Chapman medal in 1978.

Kyoto Prize is considered one of the most renowned prices in Japan, and Eugene Parker was honored with the Kyoto prize in 2003 for his lifetime achievement in the art and science department.

Eugene Parker’s Hobbies And Interests

As per the media sources, no details are available regarding the hobbies and interests of Eugene Parker on social media sites.

• Eugene Parker died at the age of 94 on March 15, 2002. His son Eric Parker confirmed his father’s death stating that his father died due to Parkinson’s disease that was diagnosed years back. But still, they were waiting for the doctor’s confirmation regarding his father’s death.
• The American Astronomical Society honored Eugene Parker with the George Ellery Hale Prize for his global astronomical contributions.
• The American Geophysical Union Parker honored Parker with the William Bowie Medal.
• In 2017, NASA honored Parker by naming its solar probe after the name 'Parker Solar Probe', the first time to name a space vessel in the name of a living person.
• Howard P. Robertson, an American mathematician, and physicist, was Parker’s doctoral advisor.
• Arnab Rai Choudhuri, an Indian scientist, is one of Parker’s doctoral students.
• Paker has done his thesis work under the title ‘The interstellar dust and gas structures.’
• The president of the United States offered Parker the National Medal of Science to honor his determination in the Science and Engineering domain.
• Solar Physics and Plasma Physics are the two fields Parker would love to explore more.
• Eugene Parker served in the physics department, astronomy - a study related to natural science, and astrophysics - a study that helps learn the methods and concepts of both physics and chemistry departments.
• Parker’s Theory is considered a leading candidate to explain the coronal heating problem.
• In 2010, Parker became a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, located in Oslo, Norway.
• Eugene Newman Parker was the birth name of Eugene Parker, but he was commonly called Eugene Parker.
• For a clear understanding of complex physics, Parker has published several books, including Comical Magnetic Fields and X-Ray astronomy, to name a few. Eugene Parker has straightforwardly explained complex physics concepts in his books.
• Eugene Parker died in Chicago, Illinois, US, on March 15, 2022.
• The Zodiac sign of Eugene Parker is unknown.
• He spent a large part of his life teaching at the University of Chicago. Eugene Parker was close friends with Michael Turner for several decades and was severely affected by the passing of the great scientist. 
• Michael Turner is the Bruce V. and Diana M. Rauner Distinguished Service professor Emeritus of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Chicago. 
• After the death of Eugene Parker, Michael Turner paid a heartfelt tribute by stating that the passing of Eugene Parker meant that the department and university had faced a huge loss.

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