Jerry Nelson, an astronomer who designed advanced telescopes that help scientists glimpse far reaches of the universe, has died in California. The University of California, Santa Cruz, where Nelson was a professor emeritus of astronomy and astrophysics, said he died June 10 at his home. Nelson's concept has since been used for other large ground-based telescopes around the world. Nelson also played an important role in the development of adaptive optics technology, which sharpens the images from ground-based telescopes by correcting for the blurring effect of Earth's atmosphere, the university said. Nelson is survived by his wife, sister, two children from his first marriage and three grandchildren.

Source: ABC News June 22, 2017 17:09 UTC