Lyman Spitzer: Life, times, and science.

Lyman Spitzer was one of the major figures of twentieth century theoretical astrophysics. Over more than fifty years, he kept up sustained research of his own, on problems concerning the interstellar medium, star formation, and galaxies. In addition he was a major influence on observational programmes, and created a thriving school of theoretical astrophysics at Princeton University along with a strong plasma physics programme. This article brings out his contributions, placing them in context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]