(meteorobs) A Man who Loved the Stars

[George Gliba]

Meteorobs Folks,

  I have some sad news for those of you who didn't know, the well known and
admired GSFC astronomer Walter A. Feibelman passed away about a month ago at
the age of 79. I just learned about it today. He was a professional astronomer
at GSFC since 1969, and wrote over 200 scientific papers, mostly about hot 
stars and planetary nebulae. He was also the discoverer of Saturn's E-Ring. 
Before he became a professional, we was an enthusiastic amateur astronomer. 
Then he was a prolific telscope maker and active meteor observer. He was very 
generous and gave away many telescopes and ATM material he was no longer using
to me and other amateur astronomers.  He inspired me to get back into meteor
observing after several years of inactivity.

  He did most of his early visual meteor observing for the IGY. In August 1961 
he discovered the Alpha Ursa Majorid minor meteor showwr during his Perseid 
campaign. See Gary Kronk's C&MS at:  
http://comets.amsmeteors.org/meteors/showers/alpha_ursa_majorids.html
This minor meteor shower is probably periodic. I saw several in 1993 while
attending the Stellafane Convention in Vermont. This year, here at meteorobs,
some other observers talked about seeing activity from this radiant. 

  Even though he was in poor health and in a nursing home, he still looked out
his window to see the 2001 Leonids, and saw several fireballs, in spite of the
bad lights from the parking lot down below. He was a man who loved the stars. 

  An obituary on him is at:   www.post-gazette.com/pg/04336/419714.stm

Sincerely,
G.W. Gliba