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Karl Schwarzschild was a German astronomer whose contributions, both practical and theoretical, were of primary importance in the development of 20th century astronomy. Schwarzschild’s exceptional ability in science became evident at the age of sixteen, when his paper on the theory of celestial orbits was published. In 1901 he became professor and director of the observatory at the University of Gottingen, and eight years later he was appointed director of the Astrophysical Observatory at Potsdam. While at Gottingen, Schwarzschild introduced precise methods in photographic photometry. The results of his studies clearly demonstrated the relationship between the spectral type and the color of the star. He pioneered in the use of a coarse grating in the course of measurement of the separation of double stars; the technique has found widespread use in determining stellar magnitude and color. He also developed certain basic methods for analysis of solar spectra obtained during eclipses. “Schwarzschild enunciated the principle of radiative equilibrium and was the first to recognize clearly the role of radiative processes in the transport of heat in stellar atmospheres,” (World Book 10, 548). His hypothesis of stellar m