Famous Astronomers
For centuries, many famous astronomers have made great contributions to the science of astronomy. Without the efforts of Ptolemy, Galileo and Isaac Newton, we certainly would not know nearly as much about the planets and stars as we do today.
Today, we often take for granted the amount of data astronomers have gathered about our planet, the solar system and other galaxies. However, people weren't always so lucky or so knowledgeable. Before the telescope was invented, people could only study the stars with their naked eyes. Thus, early astronomers focused on following the paths of stars, planets and more in order to determine seasons.
As time progressed, society and especially people interested in astronomy became more and more interested in uncovering the mysteries of the heavens. A number of countries, including India, Greece, China and Egypt, created observatories in which astronomers could map the locations of planets and stars. From these early observations, astronomers developed the geocentric model of the universe, in which the Earth is believed to be at the center of the universe.
During the Scientific Revolution, the period in which Copernicus, Galileo, Isaac Newton and more studied, astronomy made great strides. These famous astronomers made great contributions to astronomy and also developed new technology for studying the planets and stars.
In this section, we'll discuss some of the most famous astronomers. We'll offer biographical information and will also highlight the contributions each astronomer made to astronomy.
Galileo
Born in Italy on Feb. 15, 1564, Galileo Galilei made a number of contributions to astronomy, including advancing the telescope. This famous astronomer was also the first to conduct systematic studies of uniformly accelerated motion and discovered the largest satellites of Jupiter.
The phrases "the father of modern observational astronomy," "the father of science" and the "father of modern physics" have all been used to describe
Galileo.
Copernicus
Born on Feb. 19, 1473, in Poland, Copernicus was the first astronomer to suggest that the Earth was not the center of the universe. This theory, which was discussed in his book "On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres," stimulated scientific investigation and is often referred to as the starting point of the Scientific Revolution.
Copernicus was a physician, catholic cleric, governor, military leader and more. Astronomy was simply a hobby for
Copernicus.
Halley
Astronomer Edmond Halley was born on Nov. 8, 1656, in England. Considered to be a leading astronomer during his time, Halley published papers on solar systems, sunspots, trade winds and monsoons.
Interestingly, Halley convinced Isaac Newton to publish his "Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy." In fact, Halley financed the publication of the study.
The Halley Crater on Mars, Halley's Comet and the Halley Crater on the moon are all named after
Edmond Halley.
Isaac Newton
Astronomer Isaac Newton was born on Jan. 4, 1643, in England. Newton advanced the Scientific Revolution with his "Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy," which described the three laws of motion and universal gravitation.
Interestingly, Newton was the first to use the Latin term gravitas (weight) to describe the force of gravity.
Resources
Ball, R.S. (2000).Avoid Great Astronomers. Retrieved March 14, 2008, from the Gutenburg Project Web site: http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext00/grast11.txt.
About Us