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Many Astronomers have contributed to our understanding of the Universe in which we live. A list of some of the most famous is given below (apologies for missing someone out!): Classical Period Claudius Ptolemy (90-168); Greek; compiled the Almagest a treatise on Astronomy, in it he defined 48 Constellations of the 88 in use today. Nicolaus Copernicus 1473-1543; Polish; developed a simple heliocentric model of the solar system that explained planetary retrograde motion and overturned Greek astronomy. Tycho Brahe 1546-1601; Danish; observed a supernova now known as ``Tycho's supernova''; made the most precise observations of stellar and planetary positions then known. Galileo Galilei 1564-1642; Italian; performed fundamental observations, experiments, and mathematical analyses in astronomy and physics; discovered mountains and craters on the moon, the phases of Venus, and the four largest satellites of Jupiter: Io, Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede. Johannes Kepler 1571-1630; German; established the most exact astronomical tables then known; established the three laws of planetary motion. John Babtist Riccioli 1598-1671; Italian; made telescopic lunar studies and published detailed lunar maps in which he introduced much nomenclature for lunar objects; discovered the first double star (Mizar). Giovanni Cassini 1625-1712; Italian-born French; measured rotational periods of Jupiter and Mars; discovered four satellites of Saturn and the gap in Saturn's rings now known as ``Cassini's division'' Christiaan Huygens 1629-1695; Dutch; discovered Saturn's first satellite, Titan, and the true shape of Saturn's rings Sir Isaac Newton 1642-1727; English; developed theories of gravitation and mechanics, and invented differential calculus. Edmund Halley 1656-1742; English; used his theory of cometary orbits to predict that the comet of 1682 (later named ``Halley's comet'') was periodic Charles Messier 1730-1817; French; discovered 19 comets, 13 being original and 6 independent co-discoveries; compiled a famous catalogue of deep-sky objects. Joseph-Louis Lagrange 1736-1813; French; developed new methods of analytical mechanics; made many theoretical contributions to astronomy, improving our understanding of lunar motion and the perturbing effects of planets on cometary orbits; found solution to 3-body problem showing there could be two points (now called Lagrange points) in orbit of Jupiter where minor planets could stay almost indefinitely - the Trojan group of asteroids were later discovered at these positions. William Herschel 1738-1822; England; discovered Uranus and its two brightest moons, Titania and Oberon; discovered Saturn's moons, Mimas and Enceladus; discovered the ice caps of Mars, several asteroids and binary stars; catalogued 2,500 deep sky objects Giuseppe Piazzi 1746-1826; Italian; discovered the largest asteroid, Ceres; accurately measured positions of many stars, resulting in a star catalogue Johann Bode 1747-1826; German; popularized a relationship giving planetary distances from the Sun, which became known as ``Bode's law''; predicted an undiscovered planet between Mars and Jupiter, where the asteroids were later found. Pierre-Simon Laplace 1749-1827; French; made important mathematical contributions to differential equations; promoted the solar nebula hypothesis for the origin of the solar system. Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers 1758-1840; German; invented first successful method for calculating cometary orbits; discovered several comets, including the comet of 1815, now called Olber's comet; discovered the asteroids Pallas and Vesta; posed the famous Olber's paradox: ``Why is the night sky dark?''. Friedrich Bessel 1784-1846; Prussian; first to measure distance to the star 61 Cygni; proposed that Sirius has an unseen companion; worked out the mathematical analysis of what are now known as Bessel functions. Joseph von Fraunhofer 1787-1826; German; made detailed wavelength measurements of hundreds of lines in the solar spectrum; designed an achromatic objective lens. Johann Franz Encke 1791-1865; German; discovered the first short-period comet, now called Encke's comet . Friedrich von Struve 1793-1864; German-born Russian; founded the study of double stars; published catalogue of over 3000 binary stars; first to measure distance to the star Vega. Wilhelm Beer 1797-1850; German; prepared and published maps of the Moon and Mars Thomas Henderson 1798-1844; Scottish; first to measure distance to a star (Alpha Centauri) William Lassell 1799-1880; English; discovered Triton, the largest satellite of Neptune Sir George Airy 1801-1892; English; improved orbital theory of Venus and the Moon; studied interference fringes in optics; made a mathematical study of the rainbow. Urbain Le Verrier 1811-1877; French; accurately predicted the position of Neptune, which led to its discovery. Johann Gottfried Galle 1812-1910; German; first person to observe Neptune, based on calculations by French mathematician, Urbain Le Verrier; however, Neptune's discovery is usually credited to Le Verrier and English astronomer, John Crouch Adams, who first predicted its position. Anders Ångström 1814-1874; Swedish; discovered hydrogen in the solar spectrum; source of the Angstrom unit . Daniel Kirkwood 1814-1895; American; discovered the ``Kirkwood gaps'' in the orbits of the asteroids between Mars and Jupiter; explained the gaps in Saturn's rings William Huggins 1824-1910; England; first to show that some nebulae, including the great nebula in Orion, have pure emission spectra and thus must be gaseous Sir Joseph Lockyer 1836-1920; English; discovered in the solar spectrum a previously unknown element that he named helium Henry Draper 1837-1882; American made first photograph of a stellar spectrum (that of Vega); later photographed spectra of over a hundred stars and published them in a catalogue; studied spectrum of Orion Nebula, which he showed was a dust cloud Edward Charles Pickering 1846-1919; American; discovered the first spectroscopic binary star, Mizar Jacobus Cornelius Kapteyn 1851-1922; Dutch; discovered that the proper motions of stars were not random, but stars could be divided into two streams moving in opposite directions, representing the rotation of our galaxy Edward Barnard 1857-1923; American; discovered fourteen comets and co-discovered two others; as well as Almathea, the fifth moon of Jupiter; also discovered star with largest proper motion, now called Barnard's star. Nobel Laureates Hannes Alvén 1908-1995; Swedish; developed the theory of magnetohydrodynamics Subramanyan Chandrasekhar 1910-1995; Indian-born American; made important theoretical contributions concerning the structure and evolution of stars, especially white dwarfs. William Fowler 1911-1995; American; carried out extensive experimental studies of nuclear reactions of astrophysical significance; developed, with others, a complete theory of the formation of chemical elements in the universe. Antony Hewish 1924; English; led the research group that discovered the first pulsar. Arno A. Penzias 1933-; German-born American; co-discovered the cosmic microwave background radiation. Robert W. Wilson 1936 -; American; co-discovered the cosmic microwave background radiation Joseph H. Taylor, Jr. 1941- ; American; co-discovered the first binary pulsar. Russell Alan Hulse 1950- ;American; co-discovered the first binary pulsar. Others Annie Jump Cannon 1863-1941; American; classified spectra of many thousands of stars; published catalogues of variable stars (including 300 she discovered). Maximilian Wolf 1863-1932; German; discovered hundreds of asteroids using photography George E. Hale 1868-1938; American; revolutionized spectral observations by inventing and using the spectroheliograph; discovered magnetic fields in sunspots; first astronomer to be officially called an astrophysicist; founded the Yerkes, Mt. Wilson, and Palomar Observatories Henrietta Swan Levitt 1868-1921; American; discovered the period-luminosity relation for Cepheid variables Willem de Sitter 1872-1934; Dutch; studied the astronomical consequences of Einstein's theory of general relativity; deduced that a near-empty universe would expand. Ejnar Hertzsprung 1873-1967; Danish; invented the colour-magnitude diagram; by studying star clusters, independently discovered the relationship between absolute magnitude and spectral types of stars; a plot of this relationship is now called a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram (or H-R diagram); determined distance to the Small Magellanic Cloud Karl Schwarzschild 1873-1916; German; first to give an exact solution of Einstein's equations of general relativity, giving an understanding of the geometry of space near a point mass; also made the first study of black holes Vesto M. Slipher 1875-1969; American; first to measure the radial velocity of the Andromeda Galaxy Walter Sydney Adams 1876-1956; American; identified Sirius B as the first white dwarf star known. Henry Norris Russell 1877-1957; American; used photographic methods to measure stellar parallaxes, leading to the discovery of the relationship between absolute magnitude and spectral types of stars; a plot of this relationship is now called a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram (or H-R diagram) Bernhard Schmidt 1879-1935; Swedish-Estonian; invented and constructed the first Schmidt reflecting telescope using a corrector plate he devised to eliminate aberration of the image. Arthur S. Eddington 1882-1944; English; first to confirm Einstein's prediction that light will bend near a star; discovered the mass-luminosity relation for stars; theoretically explained the pulsation of Cepheid variables. Harlow Shapley 1885-1972; American; discovered the size of our galaxy and the direction of its center by studying the distribution of globular clusters; determined the orbits of many eclipsing binary stars. Edwin Hubble 1889-1953; American; first to measure distance to the Andromeda nebula, establishing it to be a separate galaxy; later measured distances to other galaxies and discovered that they recede at a rate proportional to their distance (Hubble's law). Walter Baade 1893-1960; German-born American; discovered the asteroids Hidalgo and Icarus; established two different stellar classes: the younger, hotter ``Population I'' and the older, cooler ``Population II''. Georges-Henri Lemaitre 1894-1966; Belgian; advanced idea that the Universe originated as a small, dense ``cosmic egg'' that exploded and set its expansion into motion Rudolph Minkowski 1895-1976; German; divided supernovae into Types I and II; optically identified many of the early radio sources. Bernard-Ferdinand Lyot 1897-1952; French; invented the coronagraph. Otto Struve 1897-1963; Russian-born American; made detailed spectroscopic studies of close binary stars; discovered interstellar matter (H II regions). Fritz Zwicky 1898-1974; Swiss-born American; observed Coma cluster of galaxies and determined that most of the cluster must be ``dark matter''; proposed existence of and then observed dwarf galaxies; proposed existence of supernovas (a term he coined) and that their collapse might lead to neutron stars; anticipated discovery of quasars by proposing that compact blue galaxies might be mistaken for stars; anticipated that dark matter could be studied by observing galaxies that acted as gravitational lenses. Jan Hendrik Oort 1900-1992; Dutch; calculated distance to center of galaxy; determined period for sun to complete one revolution of Milky Way; calculated the mass of the Milky Way; proposed existence of huge spherical cloud of icy comets (the Oort cloud) left behind from formation of the solar system George Gamow 1904-1968; Russian-born American; first suggested hydrogen fusion as source of solar energy. Karl G. Jansky 1905-1950; American; discovered radio waves from space, thereby pioneering the birth of radio astronomy. Gerard P. Kuiper 1905-1973; Dutch-born American; discovered Miranda, the fifth satellite of Uranus; discovered Nereid, the second satellite of Neptune; discovered the atmosphere of Titan, Saturn's largest satellite; his spectroscopic studies of Uranus and Neptune led to discovery of comet-like debris at the edge of the solar system, now called ``Kuiper's belt''. Bruno B. Rossi 1905-1993-; Italian; pioneer of x-ray astronomy and space plasma physics; participated in discovery of the first known x-ray source outside the solar system (Scorpius X-1). Bart Jan Bok 1906-1983; Dutch; suggested that small dark globules of interstellar gas and dusk (now called Bok globules) are collapsing to form new stars Clyde Tombaugh 1906-1997; American; discovered the dwarf planet Pluto. Fred Whipple 1906-2004; American; proposed the ``dirty snowball'' model of cometary structure. Grote Reber 1911-2002; American; built the first radio telescope (a parabolic reflector 31 feet in diameter), thereby becoming the first radio astronomer. Carl K. Seyfert 1911-1960; American; discovered the first active galaxy, part of a group now called Seyfert Galaxies. John A. Wheeler 1911-2008; American; made theoretical contributions to understanding of quantum gravity; coined the term ``black hole''; introduced the concept of ``spacetime foam'' Karl F. von Weizsäcker 1912-2007; German; contributed to the development of the model nebular theory for the formation of the solar system; proposed (with Hans Bethe) the proton-proton reaction as the thermonuclear energy source for the sun. James A. Van Allen 1914-2006; American; a space scientist best known for discovering the Earth's magnetosphere. Sir Fred Hoyle 1915-2001; English; proponent of the steady-state model of the universe; well-known author of science fiction; proposed that earliest forms of life were carried through space on comets and that these primitive forms of life found their way to Earth; derisively coined the term ``Big Bang'' for a cosmic theory with which he did not and does not agree. Robert H. Dicke 1916-1997; American; proposed that radiation near 1-cm wavelength is left over from the hot Big Bang; invented the microwave radiometer, used to detect this radiation. George H. Herbig 1920-; American; independently discovered the Herbig-Haro objects, which are gas clouds associated with young stars. E. Margaret Burbidge 1919; English; performed observational research on the spectra of quasars and other peculiar galaxies; contributed to understanding of stellar nucleosynthesis. Allan R. Sandage 1926-; American; identified the first quasar, and discovered many more; determined ages of many globular clusters. Vera Rubin 1928-; American; measured rotation curves for distant galaxies and ultimately concluded that 90% or more of the universe is made of invisible dark matter. Riccardo Giacconi 1931-; Italian; pioneer of x-ray astronomy; participated in discovery of the first known x-ray source outside the solar system (Scorpius X-1). John N. Bahcall 1934-2005; American; made important theoretical contributions to understanding solar neutrinos and quasars. Carl Sagan 1934-1996; American was a leader in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence; contributed to most of the space missions to explore Mars and the outer planets; warned that all-out nuclear war could lead to a ``nuclear winter''. James W. Christy 1938-; American; discovered Pluto's satellite, Charon. William K. Hartmann 1939-; American; well-known painter of astronomical themes; co-developed the most widely accepted theory of the formation of the Moon (from the collision of a giant planetismal with the Earth at the close of the planet-forming period of the solar system). Kip S. Thorne 1940-; American; contributed to the theoretical understanding of black holes and gravitational radiation; co-founded the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory Project (LIGO). Stephen W. Hawking 1942-; English; combined general relativity with quantum theory to predict that black holes should emit radiation and evaporate Sir Roger Penrose 1931-; English; contributed to the development of general relativity by showing the necessity for cosmological singularities; elucidated the physics of black holes. Jocelyn Burnham-Bell 1943-Irish; co-discovered the first pulsar. Charles Thomas Bolton 1943-; Canadian identified Cygnus X-1 as the first black hole. Johann Gottfried Galle Heinrich Louis D'Arrest Click Here For Gallery (All Astronomers) Abbe Nicolas Louis de Lacaille Albert Einstein Anders Jonas Angstrom Annie Jump Cannon Arthur Stanley Eddington Caroline Herschel Charles Messier Christiaan Huygens Claudius Ptolemy Daniel Kirkwood Edmond Halley Edward Charles Pickering Edward Walter Maunder Fred Hoyle Friedrich G. W. Von Struve Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Galileo Galilei George Biddell Airy Georges Lemaitre Giovanni Cassini Henrietta Swan Leavitt Isaac Newton James Bradley Johann Elert Bode Johann Franz Encke Johann Gotfried Galle Johann Heinrich Madler Johannes Kepler John Couch Adams John Flamsteed John Louis E Dreyer Joseph Von Fraunhofer Nevil Maskelyne Nicolaus Copernicus Patrick Moore Tycho Brahe Urbain Le Verrier Wilhelm Beer William Herschel (All Nationalities) Belgium Denmark England France Germany Greece Italy Netherlands Poland Russian Sweden USA (All Claims to Fame) Angstrom Unit of Wavelength Big Bang Theory of Universe Bode's Law Cassini's Division Celestial Mechanics Comet Hunter Copernican System Deep Space Object Catalogues Discovery of Neptune Discovery of Uranus Distances of Galaxies Double Star Catalogues First to Measure Distance of a Star Galilean Satellites Greenwich Meridian Halley's Comet Hubble Space Telescope Hubble's Law Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion Kirkwood Gaps Law of Gravity Map of Moon Maunder Cycle Nautical Almanac New Constellations Nutation Period Luminosity Relationship Popularizer of Astronomy Ptolemaic System Solar Physics Spectral Classification Spectroscopy Star Catalogues Steady State Theory of Universe Stellar Aberration Stellar Parallax Structure of Stars Theory of Relativity Tychonic System Wave Theory of Light White Dwarf Stars Image Full Name Born Died Nationality Fame Details Abbe Nicolas Louis de Lacaille 15th March 1713; Rumigny, Ardennes, France. 21st March 1762; Paris, France. France Compilation of a Catalogue of Stars in the Southern Hemisphere - 'Coelum australe stelliferum (1763)'. Naming of 15 New Southern Constellations. More... Albert Einstein 14th March 1879; Ulm, Germany 18th April 1955; Princeton, New Jersey, USA. USA Special and General Theories of Relativity; Revision of Newton's Laws of Gravity. More... Anders Jonas Angstrom 13th August 1814; Medelpad, Sweden. 21st June 1874; Uppsala, Sweden. Sweden Spectroscopy, Unit of Wavelength of Light More... Annie Jump Cannon 11th December 1863; Dover, Delaware, USA. 13th April 1941; Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. USA Spectral Classification of Stars: O, B, A, F, G, K, M. More... Arthur Stanley Eddington 28th December 1882; Kendal, England. 22nd Ovember 1944; Cambridge, England. England Structure of Stars More... Caroline Herschel 16th March 1750; Hanover, Germany. 9th January 1848; Hanover, Germany. Germany Assisted her brother William Herschel in compiling a Catalogue of Nebulae and Star Clusters. This formed the basis of the Dreyer's HGC. More... Charles Messier 26th June 1730, Badonviller, Lorraine, France. April 12th 1817, Paris, France. France Comet Hunter (13 original discoveries, 7 independent discoveries); Deepsky Observations which produced his famous 'Catalogue of Nebulae and Star Clusters'. More... Christiaan Huygens 14th April 1629; The Hague; Netherlands. 8th July 1695; The Hague, Netherlands. Netherlands Discovered true nature of Saturn's Rings in 1655; formulated the Wave Theory of Light; Derived the formula for periodic motion of a Pendulum. More... Claudius Ptolemy 90 AD; Egypt 168 AD; Alexandria, Egypt. Greece Almagest, Ptolemaic System - Geocentric Theory of the Universe. More... Daniel Kirkwood 27th December 1814; Harford County, Maryland, USA. 11th June 1895; Riverside, California, USA. USA Discovery of the Kirwood Gaps in the Asteroid Belt in 1857, and the correct interpretation of their origin - perturbations, resulting from orbital resonances with Jupiter. More... Edmond Halley 8th November 1656, Haggerston, Shoreditch, London, England 14th January 1742, Greenwich, London, England. England Proposed the idea of Periodic Comets;predicted the return of Halley's Comet; produced the first Chart of Magnetic Declination and the first ever Meteorological Chart. More... Edward Charles Pickering 19th July 1846; Boston, Massachusetts, United States. 3rd February 1919; Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States USA Pioneer in the use of Stellar Spectroscopy. Recruitment of women Astronomers when Director of Harvard Observatory, including Annie Jump Canon and Henrietta Leavitt; Discovery of White Dwarf Stars. More... Edward Walter Maunder 12th April 1851; London, England 21st March 1928; London, England England Pioneer of Solar Physics, in particular Sunspots. Discoverer of the 11 Year Solar Magnetic Cycle. The period of low sunspot activity in the period 1645 to 1715 is known as the Maunder Minimum. More... 1 2 3