Edgerton, Harold E.

Edgerton, Harold E.

▪ American electrical engineer and photographer
in full  Harold Eugene Edgerton 
born April 6, 1903, Fremont, Nebraska, U.S.
died January 4, 1990, Cambridge, Massachusetts

      American electrical engineer and photographer who was noted for creating high-speed photography techniques that he applied to scientific uses.

      Edgerton earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Nebraska in 1925 and received master's (1927) and doctoral (1931) degrees in the same field from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston. He taught at MIT from 1928, becoming a full professor there in 1948.

 In 1926, as a graduate student, Edgerton began to experiment with flash tubes (flashtube). He developed a tube using xenon gas that could produce high-intensity bursts of light as short as one millionth of a second in duration. Edgerton's tube is still the basic flash device used in still photography. The xenon flash could also emit repeated bursts of light at regular and very brief intervals and was thus an ideal stroboscope. With his new flash Edgerton was able to photograph the action of such things as drops of milk falling into a saucer, a tennis racket hitting a ball, and bullets hitting a steel plate or traveling at speeds of up to 15,000 miles per hour (24,100 kilometres per hour). The resulting images often possessed artistic beauty in addition to their value to industry and science.

      Edgerton explored many uses for his new photographic equipment. During World War II he constructed stroboscopic units to photograph the night operations of enemy troops. After the war he and his associates photographed nuclear test explosions. He later devised methods and equipment to photograph sea life at unprecedented depths.

Additional Reading
Roger R. Bruce (ed.), Seeing the Unseen: Dr. Harold E. Edgerton and the Wonders of Strobe Alley (1994).

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Edgerton, Harold E(ugene) — born April 6, 1903, Fremont, Neb., U.S. died Jan. 4, 1990, Cambridge, Mass. U.S. electrical engineer and photographer. He was a graduate student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology when in 1926 he developed a flash tube that could produce… …   Universalium

  • Edgerton, Harold E(ugene) — (6 abr. 1903, Fremont, Neb., EE.UU.–4 ene. 1990, Cambridge, Mass.). Ingeniero eléctrico y fotógrafo estadounidense. Era un estudiante graduado del MIT (Instituto de Tecnología de Massachusetts), cuando en 1926 desarrolló un tubo de flash capaz de …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Edgerton,Harold Eugene — Edg·er·ton (ĕjʹər tən), Harold Eugene. 1903 1990. American electrical engineer and photographer noted for his application of strobe lights to high speed photography. * * * …   Universalium

  • Harold Eugene Edgerton — Born April 6, 1903 (1903 04 06) Fremont, Nebraska Died …   Wikipedia

  • Harold Edgerton — Harold Eugene Edgerton (* 6. April 1903 in Fremont, Nebraska, USA; † 4. Januar 1990 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA), (auch: Harold E. Doc Edgerton) war ein amerikanischer Elektroingenieur, Erfinder des Stroboskops und Pionier der… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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  • Harold — /har euhld/, n. a male given name. * * * (as used in expressions) Alexander Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander 1st Earl Arlen Harold Barton Sir Derek Harold Richard Bloom Harold Clurman Harold Edgar Crane Harold Hart James Harold Doolittle… …   Universalium

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  • Harold E. Edgerton — Harold Eugene Edgerton (* 6. April 1903 in Fremont, Nebraska, USA; † 4. Januar 1990 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA), (auch: Harold E. „Doc“ Edgerton) war ein amerikanischer Elektroingenieur, Erfinder des elektrischen Stroboskops und Pionier der …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Harold Eugene Edgerton — (6 de abril de 1903, Fremont, Nebraska 4 de enero de 1990, Cambridge, Massachusetts) fue un fotógrafo e ingeniero eléctrico estadounidense. Era estudiante del Instituto Tecnológico de Massachusetts cuando en 1926 había ya desarrollado un tubo de… …   Wikipedia Español

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