D. B. McLaughlin

Biography

Dean Benjamin McLaughlin was born in 1901. He studied and worked at the University of Michigan, where he became a professor of astronomy. Besides the effect that bears his name, he is known for his research on novae, Galactic structure, and the polarization of light from minor planets. He was an editor of the Astronomical Journal.

Key discoveries

• Rossiter–McLaughlin effect – simultaneously with Rossiter, he recorded the asymmetry of radial velocity curves in the eclipsing variable Algol (Beta Persei) and interpreted it as a consequence of stellar rotation. His data became the classic confirmation of the effect.