Ripon College over the moon with success of William F. Meggers 1910

Physicist William Frederick Meggers (July 13, 1888 – Nov. 19, 1966), Ripon College class of 1910, was a pioneer in the field of spectroscopy, and he also has a crater on the moon named in his honor.

Meggers grew up on a farm in Clintonville, Wisconsin. He earned a scholarship to Ripon College, served as a research assistant in physics, and received his degree in physics in 1910. He earned a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1916 and his Ph.D. in physics, mathematics and astronomy from Johns Hopkins University in 1917.

In 1914, he joined the National Bureau of Standards and was made head of the Spectroscopy Section in 1920. He remained in that position until retiring in 1958. His work sparked interest in spectrochemistry in the United States, and he often has been called the “dean of American spectroscopists.”

He established standards of spectrography measurement that are accepted around the world; and contributed to the fields of atomic and nuclear physics, astrophysics and photography.

The impact crater Meggers, on the far side of the moon, was named after him by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) “in honor of his achievement as a physicist in spectroscopic research.”

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