Edward P. Ney

Edward P. Ney
Photo provided by Frank B. McDonald
Born	October 28, 1920 Minneapolis, Minnesota
Died	July 9, 1996 (aged 75) Minneapolis, Minnesota
Nationality	American
Alma mater	University of Virginia
Scientific career
Fields	Physics Astronomy
Institutions	University of Minnesota University of Virginia
Doctoral advisor	Jesse Beams
Doctoral students	Phyllis S. Freier John D. Linsley Frank B. McDonald

Edward Purdy Ney (October 28, 1920 – July 9, 1996) was an American physicist who made major contributions to cosmic ray research, atmospheric physics, heliophysics, and infrared astronomy.^[1] He was a discoverer of cosmic ray heavy nuclei and of solar proton events. He pioneered the use of high-altitude balloons for scientific investigations and helped to develop procedures and equipment that underlie modern scientific ballooning. He was one of the first researchers to put experiments aboard spacecraft.

In 1963, Ney became one of the first infrared astronomers. He founded O'Brien Observatory, where he and his colleagues discovered that certain stars are surrounded by grains of carbon and silicate minerals and established that these grains, from which planets are formed, are ubiquitous in circumstellar winds and regions of star formation.