author
Lincoln LaPaz
1897–1985
A mathematician turned astronomer, he became one of the early experts on meteors and meteorites in the American Southwest. His career at the University of New Mexico also brought him into some of the most curious skywatching stories of the mid-20th century.
1 Audiobook
Space Nomads: Meteorites in Sky, Field, and Laboratory
by Lincoln LaPaz, Jean LaPaz
About the author
Born in Wichita, Kansas, Lincoln LaPaz studied mathematics before building a career in astronomy. He earned degrees from Fairmont College and Harvard, taught at Dartmouth, and went on to become a longtime faculty member at the University of New Mexico, where he became closely associated with meteor research.
LaPaz is best remembered as a pioneer in the study of meteors and meteorites. He helped develop methods for tracking fireballs and searching for fallen meteorites, and he took part in notable recovery efforts that made him an important figure in early meteoritics.
He also became known outside academic astronomy for investigating the mysterious "green fireballs" reported over New Mexico in the late 1940s. That mix of serious scientific work and unusual sky phenomena has kept interest in his life and writing alive long after his death in 1985.