Maarten Schmidt, astronomer who explained quasars, dies at 92

Maarten Schmidt, the Dutch-born American astronomer who explained the mysterious heavenly bodies known as quasars and in so doing helped create the modern picture of the universe, its structure and its history, died Sept. 17 at his home in Fresno, Calif. He was 92.

The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, where he was professor emeritus, announced the death but did not cite a cause.