D` Astronomers

Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543)

– Famous For: Formulating the heliocentric illustration of the universeThe “heliocentric theory” of Copernicus can be found in On the Revolutions of Celestial Spheres. The theory presented the argument that the earth is not the center of the universe, and presented that the Sun directly affects the movement of the planets.

Galileo Galilei (1564–1642)

• Famous For: Being the “Father of Observational Astronomy”As the father of observational astronomy, Galileo identified the four moons of Jupiter, observed and provided an analysis of sunspots, and presenting the theory of heliocentrism.

Johann Gottfried Galle (1812–1910)

• Famous For: Discovering the planet NeptuneWhile working at the Berlin Observatory, Galle first observed and viewed Neptune, the eighth planet from the sun. Later in his life, he provided methods to calculate planetary orbits

Michael E. Brown (1965)

• Famous For: Identifying Pluto as a TNO (trans-Neptunian object)As a professor in planetary astronomy, Brown is credited as the man “who killed Pluto.” He and his team were responsible for the discovery of TNO’s, objects that orbit the Sun beyond Neptune. Eris, a “dwarf planet”, was sitting between Neptune and Pluto, thus making it the ninth, the debate goes on.

Christiaan Huygens (1629-1695)

• Famous For: Providing an explanation for Saturn’s ringsThe explanation that Huygen’s gave for the rings of Saturn was that it was a solid flat ecliptic ring that touched nothing. His last book, Cosmotheoros, he suggested the possibility of extra-terrestrial life on other planets.

Thomas Gold (1920-2004)

• Famous For: The “Steady State Theory”Gold and three of his colleagues a hypothesis related to the creation of the universe that was known as the “steady state theory.”

Joseph-Louis Lagrange (1736-1813)

• Famous For: The Lagrangian PointsIn an effort to explain the “orbital configuration” of a small object that is affected by gravity Joseph LaGrange provided a solution in mathematical terms which is known as the Lagrange points.

Edmund Halley (1656-1742)

• Famous For: Having a comet named after him, Halley’s cometHalley calculated the orbit of a comet that could be seen from earth every seventy-six years. It appears again in 2061, if calculations are correct.

Caroline Herschel (1750-1848)

• Famous For: The discovery of comets and one named after her, the 35P Herschel-Rigollet CometSister of astronomer William Herschel, Caroline discovered and calculated the orbit of a comet known as the Herschel-Rigollet comet. The orbital period of this “periodic comet” is said to be 155 years. In all she discovered five comets

Annie Jump Cannon (1863-1941)

• Famous For: The Stellar Classification system and the “Harvard Classification Scheme”Annie Cannon developed a system to classify and organize stars according to the temperatures they produced. More importantly, the stellar classification system was also the work of this American astronomer.

Fritz Zwicky (1898-1974)

• Famous For: The theory of supernova and dark matterIt was Zwicky who brought us the word “supernova” and presented a theory that these were stars that became “neutron stars”. He also proposed the theory of the existence of “dark matter” or unseen matter, in space.

Stephen Hawking (1942)

• Famous For: The “Hawking radiation theory”Using quantum mechanics and the general theory of relativity, he combined the two fields of study to explain cosmology. He also proposed that “black holes” produce radiation, this radiation from the black holes is known as “Hawking radiation.”

Carl Sagan (1934–1996)

• Famous For: The SETI program and TV series “Cosmos”Carl Sagan made it easy for the ordinary people to understand and enjoy science. Because he described that there “…billions upon billions of stars”, when an enormous quantity of “anything”, is described known as a “sagan.”

Johannes Kepler (1571–1630)

• Famous For: His work in the field of astronomy and mathematicsAcceptance of Kepler’s laws and theories were not immediate. His book “Epitome of Copernican Astronomy” became the main source of his ideas for many in the early 17th century.

Tycho Brahe (1546–1601)

• Famous For: His comprehensive work on astronomical and planetary observationsTycho was popular during his time as both an alchemist and as an astronomer. He was the last remaining astronomers who made his observations using the naked eyes. He did not use a telescope.

Edwin Hubble (1889–1953)

• Famous For: Having space telescope named after himHubble made observations of galaxies beyond the Milky Way, his discoveries include Triangulum and the Andromeda Nebula.

William Herschel (1738–1822)

• Famous For: The discovery of infra-red radiation and the planet UranusWilliam Herschel’s fame is based on his identification of Uranus and tow of its satellites, Oberon and Titania. In addition, and perhaps by accident, discovered the existence of infrared radiation when using filters during his observation of sunspots.

Pierre-Simon Laplace (1749–1827)

• Famous For: The nebular hypothesis and mathematical astronomyLaPlace is believed to be one of the earliest astronomers to suggest the existence of black holes in space. He also presented a theory that explained the origin of the solar system, the nebular hypothesis.

George Gamow (1904–1968)

• Famous For: Big Bang TheoryThe discovery of the explanation of quantum tunneling via alpha decay is attributed to Gamow. Interestingly, he postulated further what has been known as the “Big Bang Theory.”

Clyde Tombaugh (1906–1997)

• Famous For: Discovery of Pluto and asteroidsDuring his time at the famous Lowell Observatory, Tombaugh discovered the planet Pluto and the Kuiper Belt in 1930. He also contributed to science by his discovery of asteroids, fourteen in all.

Charles Messier (1730–1817)

• Famous For: The Messier Astronomical CatalogProvided astronomers a catalogue that provided information whether an object viewed in space is stationary or moving. This catalogue contained 110 objects, thus it was called 110 Messier Objects, along with nebulae and clusters of stars.

Jocelyn Bell (1943)

• Famous For: The discovery of “Pulsars”The first pulsar, a neutron star that produces electromagnetic radiation, was first identified and discovered by Bell. She later discovered three more.