COBLENTZ, WILLIAM W(EBER)

born Nov. 20, 1873, North Lima, Ohio, U.S. died Sept. 15, 1962, Washington, D.C. American physicist and astronomer whose work lay primarily in infrared spectroscopy. Coblentz measured the infrared radiation from stars, planets, and nebulae and was the first to determine accurately the constants of blackbody radiation, thus confirming Planck's law. From 1905 until 1945 Coblentz was chief of the Radiometry Section of the U.S. National Bureau of Standards and is considered responsible for the adoption of radiometric standards. In 1937 he was awarded the Rumford Gold Medal by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.