Louise Gray Young
engineer · astronomer
- October 4, 1935 · Los Angeles
- March 2, 2018 · San Diego
- 82 years
About Louise Gray Young
Louise Gray Young, 82, American astronomer.
Explore other notable deaths in 2018 or deaths in March 2018.
The Deaths Archive presents
How well do you know Louise Gray Young?
Explore their life. Test your knowledge. Beat the challenge.
10 questions · One legacy · How much do you really know?
Challenge your friends
Play together in real-time.
Full Biography
|Louise Gray Young (October 4, 1935 - March 2, 2018) was an American astronomer and researcher who specialised in molecular spectroscopy. She is best known for her spectroscopic analysis of the planetary atmospheres of Earth, Venus and Mars.
Early life and education
Louise Dillon was born October 4, 1935, in Los Angeles, California, to Ruth Davis and Frank Dillon. She studied at the University of California, Los Angeles, graduating with Bachelor (1958) and Master (1959) degrees in engineering. She was awarded her Ph.D. in engineering science at California Institute of Technology. Her thesis was in the emission and transfer of radiation in gases under the direction of Stanford S. Penner.
Research and career
In 1965, Young started working at the engineering faculty at University of California, Los Angeles. In 1967, she became a research associate in astronomy at the University of Texas at Austin. Young then went on to work at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab until 1974. After which, Young became a research scientist at Texas A&M University.
In 1976, Young became a fellow of the Optical Society of America. She was also a member of the American Astronomical Society, International Astronomical Union, and American Meteorological Society. Between 1969 and 1977, Young was an associate editor of the Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer.
Selected publications
- Gray, L.D.; Young, A.T. (May 1969). "Relative intensity calculations for carbon dioxide—IV". Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer. 9 (5): 569–589. doi:10.1016/0022-4073(69)90008-9.
- R Schorn; L Gray Young; E Barker. (May 1970). "High-dispersion spectroscopic observations of Venus". Icarus. 12(3). 391–401. doi: 10.1016/0019-1035(70)90007-2
- L Gray Young. (August 1971). "Calculation of the partition function for 14N216O". Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer. 11(8). 1265–1270. doi:10.1016/0022-4073(71)90099-9
- L Gray Young. (November 1970). "Effective Pressure for Line Formation in the Atmosphere of Venus". Icarus. 13(3). 449–458. doi:10.1016/0019-1035(70)90092-8
- L Gray Young. (July 1971). "Interpretation of high resolution spectra of Mars—II calculations of CO2 abundance, rotational temperature and surface pressure". Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer. 11(7). doi:10.1016/0022-4073(71)90127-0
Personal life
Louise Gray Young was married to Andrew T. Young. She had two children, Gregory and Elizabeth. She died aged 82 in San Diego, California on March 2, 2018.
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Interactive
Test Your Knowledge – Trivia Challenge
How well do you know this person's life and legacy?
No account needed to play. Sign in to keep your score on the leaderboard.
Books & Media
Find books, audiobooks and films about Louise Gray Young on Amazon.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Gray_Young
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- October 21, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Louise Gray Young's archived record and the sources above.
1.On what date was Louise Gray Young born?
- A.May 1, 1938
- B.August 12, 1935
- C.October 4, 1935correct
- D.March 2, 2018
Louise Gray Young was born on October 4, 1935, in Los Angeles, California.
Source: Early life and education
2.What was the primary field of specialization for Louise Gray Young?
- A.Astrophysics
- B.Molecular spectroscopycorrect
- C.Nuclear engineering
- D.Particle physics
Louise Gray Young was an astronomer and researcher who specialized in molecular spectroscopy.
Source: Biographical introduction
3.Where did Louise Gray Young receive her Ph.D. in engineering science?
- A.California Institute of Technologycorrect
- B.University of California, Los Angeles
- C.University of Texas at Austin
- D.Texas A&M University
Louise Gray Young was awarded her Ph.D. in engineering science at the California Institute of Technology.
Source: Early life and education
4.Who supervised the thesis of Louise Gray Young at the California Institute of Technology?
- A.Frank Dillon
- B.Ruth Davis
- C.Andrew T. Young
- D.Stanford S. Pennercorrect
The thesis of Louise Gray Young was directed by Stanford S. Penner.
Source: Early life and education
5.In what year did Louise Gray Young begin working at the University of California, Los Angeles engineering faculty?
- A.1965correct
- B.1958
- C.1967
- D.1974
Louise Gray Young started working at the engineering faculty at the University of California, Los Angeles in 1965.
Source: Research and career
6.Which institution employed Louise Gray Young after her tenure at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab?
- A.University of California, Los Angeles
- B.California Institute of Technology
- C.Texas A&M Universitycorrect
- D.University of Texas at Austin
After working at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, Louise Gray Young became a research scientist at Texas A&M University.
Source: Research and career
7.Louise Gray Young became a fellow of which professional organization in 1976?
- A.International Astronomical Union
- B.American Astronomical Society
- C.Optical Society of Americacorrect
- D.American Meteorological Society
In 1976, Louise Gray Young became a fellow of the Optical Society of America.
Source: Research and career
8.What editorial role did Louise Gray Young hold between 1969 and 1977?
- A.Associate editor of the Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfercorrect
- B.Lead researcher for NASA publications
- C.Editor of the American Meteorological Society journal
- D.Editor-in-chief of Icarus
Between 1969 and 1977, Louise Gray Young served as an associate editor of the Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer.
Source: Research and career
9.Louise Gray Young is best known for her spectroscopic analysis of which planetary atmospheres?
- A.Mars, Jupiter and Saturn
- B.Earth, Venus and Marscorrect
- C.Jupiter, Saturn and Mars
- D.Earth, Mercury and Venus
Louise Gray Young is best known for her spectroscopic analysis of the planetary atmospheres of Earth, Venus and Mars.
Source: Biographical introduction
10.What is the name of the spouse of Louise Gray Young?
- A.Gregory Young
- B.Stanford S. Penner
- C.Frank Dillon
- D.Andrew T. Youngcorrect
Louise Gray Young was married to Andrew T. Young.
Source: Personal life
11.How many children did Louise Gray Young have?
- A.Three
- B.One
- C.Four
- D.Twocorrect
Louise Gray Young had two children, Gregory and Elizabeth.
Source: Personal life
12.What was the date of Louise Gray Young's death?
- A.March 2, 2018correct
- B.October 4, 1935
- C.July 15, 2010
- D.November 20, 2015
Louise Gray Young died on March 2, 2018.
Source: Personal life
13.Where did Louise Gray Young pass away?
- A.Pasadena, California
- B.Los Angeles, California
- C.San Diego, Californiacorrect
- D.Austin, Texas
Louise Gray Young died in San Diego, California on March 2, 2018.
Source: Personal life
14.In which academic discipline did Louise Gray Young obtain her Bachelor and Master degrees in 1958 and 1959?
- A.Engineeringcorrect
- B.Physics
- C.Meteorology
- D.Astronomy
Louise Gray Young studied at the University of California, Los Angeles, graduating with Bachelor and Master degrees in engineering.
Source: Early life and education
15.Which of these journals published the article 'High-dispersion spectroscopic observations of Venus' by Louise Gray Young?
- A.Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer
- B.Icaruscorrect
- C.Science
- D.Nature
Louise Gray Young published 'High-dispersion spectroscopic observations of Venus' in the journal Icarus in May 1970.
Source: Selected publications
16.How old was Louise Gray Young when she died?
- A.78
- B.82correct
- C.80
- D.85
Louise Gray Young was 82 years old when she passed away on March 2, 2018.
Source: Personal life
Explore the archive
People who died on March 2
Related People
Spotted an error?
Help us keep the archive accurate. Report a correction with a source.
Report an error for Louise Gray Young →












