15 Famous Astronomers Who Changed The World

15 Famous Astronomers Who Changed The World

Gaze at the universe in wonder and curiosity through their eyes. These famous astronomers affected the world by giving us a different lens to view our cosmos. Nicolaus Copernicus proved why the sun is the center of the solar system. Johannes Kepler explained to us how the planets observe their constant motion.

Furthermore, Isaac Newton unveiled the law of gravitation and the law of motion among other theories. While Galileo Galilei set up the stage for telescopic observations and space probes, after revealing that the moon’s surface was full of mountains and craters. Then with Caroline Herschel being the first woman to cite a comet, the list goes on. Take a look.

Here are the 15 Famous Astronomers Who Changed The World.

1. Nicolaus Copernicus

District Museum in Toruń, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

A Polish astronomer who is remembered for giving the world of science what is known as the heliocentric, or the sun-centered system. His theory stated that the sun was stationary and placed in the center of the Universe. Thus the Earth and the other planets spin around the sun.

Moreover, Copernicus argued that the Earth takes a year (365 days) to complete one revolution or a spin around the sun. The ripple effect is the weather seasons (spring, summer, fall, and winter).

He also put forward that the Earth completes a rotation on its axis every day causing day and night. He was born in Poland on 19 February 1473 and passed on at the age of 70 in his country on 24 May 1543.

Check out Facts about Nicolaus Copernicus.

2. Johannes Kepler

This German astronomer cum mathematician is credited with inventing three laws that brought light to the planetary motion subject. His first law is the most popular and Kepler put forth that planets move in elliptical paths and not circles as was believed before his theory. The focus during this movement is the sun.

Additionally, his second law held the view that the closer planets are to the sun, the faster they move proportionally in their orbits. Kepler’s third law discovered that the orbital period of a planet is proportional to the size of its orbit.

He was a religious person and thought his inventions to be a fulfillment of his Christian duty to gain insights into the works of God. He was born in Germany on 27 December 1571. His demise came when he was 58 years in his home country on 15 November 1630.

3. Edmond Halley

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The English astronomer doubled as a mathematician and physicist. He is recognized in the field of science for providing an analysis of the orbits of comets which he established were elliptical and periodic.

To add on, banking on the similarities between the famous comets of 1531, 1607, and 1682, Halley calculated the next comet return. His prediction was 1758 and he was correct so it was since given the name, Halley’s Comet. Yet he didn’t witness the event because it happened over a decade after his death.

Besides Halley’s Comet, science honors his contribution to the field while he worked for the Royal Society. It was there he came up with the world’s earliest actuarial tables.

Further, he did the first meteorological chart. That was a drawing of the world and the winds that prevail over the oceans. He was born in England on 8 November 1656 and passed away in the same region at the age of 85 years on 25 January 1742.

4. Galileo Galilei

He was an Italian astronomer who was popular in science circles as Galileo. He built the foundation of modern-day space probes, telescope advancements, and telescopic observations. Galileo receives acclaim for telescopic observations of the moon’s terrain citing it was not smooth but full of mountains and craters.

What’s more, he also discovered that Venus goes through phases that resembled those of the moon. These phases include a crescent and full disc shape as well as complete disappearance for some time.

Further, he cited the largest moons on planet Jupiter and the rings of planet Saturn. He was born in Italy on 15 February 1564. He passed on aged 77 years while in Italy on 8 January 1642.

5. Isaac Newton

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The law of universal gravitation and the law of motion make Newton one of the fathers of physics. In mathematics, he is renowned for inventing the calculus and binomial theorem (discovered in 1665 at 22 years).

On top of that, he is appreciated for inventing the reflecting telescope and offering proposals on the new theory of light and color. He also contributed to the moving forward of the early steps of modern chemistry. He was born in the UK on 4 January 1643 and died in the region on 31 March 1727 aged 84 years.

Get insights into the life of Isaac Newton.

6. Pierre-Simon Laplace

This French astronomer is headlined for his investigations to determine the stability of the solar system. According to his Laplace theory, he explains the origin of the solar system. Subsequently, he presented the imagination that the solar system was a result of condensation from the solar atmosphere.

The Laplace distribution is also his 1774 credit which assisted in solving linear problems. He was born in France on 23 March 1749. His demise occurred when he was 77 years while in his country on 5 March 1827.

7. William Herschel

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He discovered the planet Uranus in 1781 making it the seventh planet with the aid of a telescope. At first, he thought it was a comet or a star. He named it after King George III of England so it was known as “the Georgium Sidus” translated as the Georgian Planet.

Furthermore, the name Uranus was proposed by astronomer Johann Bode to fit in with the classical mythology naming of the other planets. He is also applauded for discovering infrared radiation which elaborates the thermal or heat emission from the Earth. It explains how the Earth maintains a warming effect on the planet after receiving sun rays. He was born in Germany on 15 November 1738 and died aged 83 in England on 25 August 1822.

8. Henrietta Swan Leavitt

She was an American astronomer held with high regard for giving astronomy the necessity to map out stars in the universe. Thus she invented the period-luminosity relation. It is a relationship that gives astronomers the roadmap to estimate the distances between stars.

To boot, the more accurate the distance between stars is the better it becomes to estimate their true brightness. So the period-luminosity relation helps in identifying the length of the pulses of Cepheids (stars that brighten and dim at specific periods).

In turn, it becomes possible to measure the distance to all Cepheids using the length of their pulses. She was born in Massachusetts on July 4, 1868. She died in Massachusetts aged 53 years on December 12, 1921.

9. Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar

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This Indian-American astronomer cum theoretical physicist is applauded for winning the 1983 Nobel Prize for Physics. It was a shared win alongside William A. Fowler in honor of their efforts in exploring the structure and evolution of the stars.

Over and above that, Chandrasekhar contributed to the astronomy field with his 1930s explanation of how the white dwarf star comes about. In his theory, once the hydrogen fuel of stars runs out, it forces the star to collapse into a compact and brilliant star which is referred to as a white dwarf.

In his honor, the Chandrasekhar limit which is the maximum mass of a stable white dwarf star is named after him. Also, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory was a 1999 NASA space telescope in his honor. He was born in Punjab, India which is modern-day Pakistan on 19 October 1910. He died in Illinois when he was 84 years on 21 August 1995.

10. Caroline Herschel

Ölgemälde: Melchior Gommar Tieleman; Foto des gemeinfreien Gemäldes: unbekannt, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

She prides herself in many firsts. She discovered a comet becoming the first woman to do so. She is on official records as the first woman to occupy a significant scientific position. She received an honorary membership into Britain’s Royal Society making her the first woman in that capacity.

Moreover, she advanced her brother’s work William Herschel (earlier). In her capacity, she spotted several nebulae (giant clouds of dust and gas in space) in 1783 using a telescope.

In 1786, Caroline discovered a comet and in the next decade, she made seven other comet discoveries. She was born in Germany on 16 March 1750 and died in her country at 97 years on 9 January 1848.

Learn Amazing Facts about Caroline Herschel.

11. Edwin Hubble

This American astronomer challenged the assumption that the universe was static. So in 1929, he came up with the Hubble Law which proved that the universe is on a constant expansion rate.

Furthermore, his other acclaim stems from his argument for the existence of other galaxies in the Universe that are not part of the Milky Way.

This ignited the use of the Hubble tuning fork diagram which is used to date but in an updated version. The diagram is a systematic classification of galaxies into ellipticals, spirals, and barred spirals. He was born in Missouri on November 20, 1889. He passed on aged 63 in California on September 28, 1953.

12. Vera Rubin

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As an American astronomer, her focus was on spiral galaxies. She measured the speeds at which stars whirled around galactic centers. Thus her observations between the 1960s and 1970s provided scientific proof that dark matter existed.

Scientists had hints of the existence of dark matter before. But her discovery was confirmation of its existence putting an end to skeptical arguments. She was born in Pennsylvania on July 23, 1928. She passed away at 88 years in New Jersey on December 25, 2016.

13. Margaret Geller

She and her colleagues have challenged the cosmological theory and offered evidence that there exists a heterogeneous galaxy distribution. Her attention is on the study of galaxies and their environment as well as their relationship.

She has also developed methods of measuring the distribution of matter in the universe. She was born in New York on December 8, 1947, where she also credits her upbringing.

14. Carl Sagan

NASA/JPL, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

He is acknowledged as a pioneer of exobiology which is the study of the possibility of extraterrestrial life. He is one of the first minds to certify that Mars could hold life.

He is also famed for the saying “We are made of starstuff”. He was born in New York City on November 9, 1934. He died at the age of 62 in Seattle on December 20, 1996.

15. Stephen Hawking

This genius discovered that black holes emit radiation and this radiation can be detected by special devices. The black hole was a discovery by John Michell in 1783. According to his findings, it refers to a volume of space with extreme gravity strength that nothing can escape from including light.

To add on, Hawking was diagnosed with the motor neuron condition in 1963 during his early 20s. Though it led to his paralysis, he lived with the condition for over 50 years. He was born in England on 8 January 1942 and passed away at the age of 76 on 14 March 2018 in England.

Read more about Black Holes.

These visionaries have shaped the field of astronomy and with their discoveries, they positively changed the world. With their inventions, they have helped us gain an understanding of our universe. Thus the 15 famous astronomers who changed the world plus a lot more not on the list remain to be legends in astronomy throughout generations.