Author Topic: ~ Famous Astronomers ~  (Read 5704 times)

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Re: ~ Famous Astronomers ~
« Reply #15 on: October 29, 2014, 07:01:30 PM »
Michael E Brown



Born: Jun 5, 1965

Nationality: American

Famous For: “killing” Pluto

Awards: Feynman Prize (2007), Kavli Prize in Astrophysics (2012)

Michael E. Brown was born on June 5th, 1965. He is a famous astronomer known for his work on distant objects (beyond Neptune) orbiting the sun. His biggest achievement is the discovery of the dwarf planet Eris, which is larger than Pluto.

Personal Life and Career

Mike Brown is from Huntsville, Alabama. He studied at the Virgil I. Grissom High School from which he graduated in 1983. In 1987, he earned his Bachelor of Arts in physics from Princeton University and he was also a member of the Princeton Tower Club during his time there.

Brown earned an M.A. in astronomy in 1990 from the University of California, Berkeley. He continued his education and got his Ph.D. from the same institute in 1994.

In March of 2003, Brown married Diane Binney. They have one daughter, Lilah Binney Brown, who was born in July of 2005. Today, Dr. Brown teaches undergraduate and graduate students at Caltech. His subjects range from introductory geology to the formation and evolution of our planetary system. He is also frequently invited to planetariums, science museums, college campuses and astronomical meetings to give lectures.

Brown’s Research and Findings

Dr. Brown is best known for his work on the trans-Neptunian objects (TNO), which are objects that orbit the sun beyond the orbit of the planet Neptune. His most famous achievement was the discovery of Eris, the dwarf planet, which is bigger than Pluto, which counted as one of the nine planets at that time. His discovery led to Pluto being re-designated as a planetoid.

His team gave informal names to Eris and its satellite, Dysnomia. Eris was informally called Xena and its moon, Dysnomia, was called Gabrielle. The names were inspired from the characters of Xena: Warrior Princess. Dr. Brown’s team is also credited with the discovery of planetoids 90377 Sedna and 90482 Orcus.

Brown’s discoveries have led to a greater understanding of dwarf planets, which are also called planetoids. As a consequence of his findings, Pluto lost its status as a planet and was downgraded to a planetoid. Mike jokingly refers to himself as the man who killed Pluto.

Brown’s Writings and Publications

Other than his work with TNOs, Michael Brown is also famous for his writings. He has authored about 100 scientific papers and his works have been published by World Book Science Year, Physics Today, and the New York Times. His memoir of discoveries, How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming, was published in 2010.

He has also taught a number of students during his career who are making a name for themselves in the field of astronomy. Some of notable among them are Megan Schwamb, Emily Schaller, Darin Ragozzine, Antonin Bouchez, Adam Burgasser, Chad Trujillo, Jean-Luc Margot and Marc Kuchner.

Awards and Honors

During his career, Mike E. Brown has won several awards and had many honors. For instance, Asteroid 11714, which was discovered in April 1998, was named Mikebrown in his honor. Time magazine also put him on its list of the 100 most influential people of 2006.

In 2007, Brown received Caltech’s most prestigious teaching honor, the Richard P. Feynman Award. He was also awarded the Kavli Prize in Astrophysics in 2012.

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Re: ~ Famous Astronomers ~
« Reply #16 on: October 29, 2014, 07:04:29 PM »
Nicolaus Copernicus



Born: Feb 19, 1473 in Torun, Royal Prussia, Kingdom of Poland

Died: May 24, 1543 (at age 70) in Frombork, Prince-Bishopric of Warmia, Royal Prussia, Kingdom of Poland

Nationality: Polish

Famous For: Heliocentrism, Copernicus’ Law

Nicolaus Copernicus was a German-Polish astronomer who helped found the discipline of astronomy when he posited that the earth was not fixed but rather was a moving planet. He believed that the sun, not the earth, was the center of the universe. This theory came to be known as heliocentrism.

Birth and Early Life

Copernicus was born in Thorn, now Torun, in Poland. When he was of age, he went to the University of Krakow. Through the influence of his uncle, Lucas Watzenrode, a prince-bishop, Copernicus was made a canon of the cathedral chapter of Frombork, now called Frauenberg. Because he was a canon, he had an income to support his astronomical studies.

The cathedral chapter also gave him permission to continue his studies in Italy. Copernicus went on and received a master’s degree from the University of Bologna and a doctorate’s from the University of Ferrara, where he also studied medicine. When he returned to Poland, he became the medical adviser to his uncle and served as a canon. He served in this position until his death.

Copernicus was a bachelor and had no children of his own, but he looked after the orphaned children of Katharine, his sister.

Refuting Ptolemy

When Copernicus was a young man, many astronomers believed in the theory that Ptolemy had formulated 1400 years before, which claimed that the earth was the center of the universe and did not move. Ptolemy said that everything revolved around it because that is what he observed in the sky.

However, Copernicus doubted Ptolemy’s theory. He believed that the earth speeds through space and that people cannot see this motion because they are traveling along with the earth. Copernicus realized that the motion described by Ptolemy was not true and what people see in the sky is affected by the motion of the earth. The real motion in the heavens needs to be separated from the apparent motion.

Copernicus’ Theory

Copernicus applied this idea to his tome, Concerning the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres, in 1543. He dedicated the work to Paul III, who was Pope at the time, quite possibly to shield himself from any repercussions from the Catholic Church.

In this book, Copernicus showed how the motions of the earth could be used to explain the motions of other heavenly bodies. He believed there were eight spheres. In the outermost sphere hung the stars, which were immutable, or did not move at all. The sun was in the center of the spheres and it was surrounded by the spheres of the known planets.

The moon had its own sphere around the earth. Copernicus’ theories laid the foundations of the discoveries of Galileo, who discovered the moons of Jupiter, the planetary laws of Kepler and the gravitational principles of Isaac Newton.

Copernicus Creates Controversy

Because it removed the earth as the center of the universe, Copernicus’ theories became very controversial, though it took the Catholic Church a surprisingly long time to ban Celestial Spheres.

Copernicus died in 1543 when he was about 70 years old in Frombork, the place where he wrote his masterpiece. He is buried in its cathedral.

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Re: ~ Famous Astronomers ~
« Reply #17 on: October 29, 2014, 07:08:49 PM »
Pierre-Simon Laplace



Born: Mar 23, 1749 in Beaumont-en-Auge, Normandy, France

Died: Mar 5, 1827 (at age 77) in Paris, France

Nationality: French

Famous For: Black holes, Bayesian probability, Laplace’s equation, Laplace distribution, and many others

Pierre-Simon Laplace, also known as Marquis de Laplace, was a French astronomer and mathematician who became famous for his theory regarding the beginnings of the solar system.

LaPlace’s Early Life

Laplace was born in Beaumont-en-Auge, a village in Normandy. His father was a farmer, but Laplace was able to have a good education thanks to wealthy neighbors. Laplace’s father wanted him to become a priest, so he was at first sent to Caen to study for the priesthood. However, his enthusiasm soon turned to mathematics.

Because he excelled in this subject, Laplace became a mathematics professor at the Ecole Militaire in Paris at the early age of 20. The income from this teaching job allowed Laplace to concentrate on research in astronomy. He was one of Napoleon Bonaparte’s teachers, who later recognized and rewarded him for his work. But the friendship between the two men was often fraught.

In 1788, Laplace married a young woman somewhat younger than he was, and they had two children. When Laplace’s daughter died, Napoleon’s lack of empathy estranged him from the emperor.

LaPlace’s Study of the Solar System

In his Exposition of the System of the Universe, written in 1796, LaPlace started with a theoretical primitive nebula as the origin of the solar system. He believed that this huge cloud of gas rotated, cooled, contracted and birthed planets and satellites. The remaining material formed the sun. Laplace’s nebular hypothesis was accepted for a long time, but has now been replaced by more modern and accurate theories.

Contributions to Astronomy

Marquis de Laplace also contributed to studies in mathematical astronomy. Sir Isaac Newton had explained the movement of the solar system in general, but he had not solved all of the questions because the mathematical tools were not invented yet. Even Newton claimed that some aspects of how the solar system worked were just due to the will of God.

Laplace wished to reject this belief and he eventually accounted for the intricacies in the movement of the bodies and wrote about this in his Celestial Mechanics. In this multi-volume work, he summed up achievements in theoretical astronomy from the time of Newton. The books deal with equilibrium, the movement of fluids and solids, the law of gravity, and planetary mechanics.

Planetary Orbits and Black Holes

Laplace also discovered the stability of planetary orbits. He said that any eccentricities there were in a planet’s orbit were inconsequential and they always tend to correct themselves.

Laplace also theorized the existence of black holes. He believed that there were stars whose mass was such that not even light could escape the force of their gravity. He also believed that some of the nebulae that he saw through telescopes might be their own galaxies and not part of the galaxy to which the earth belonged. For the time, these theories were quite farseeing, as the existence of other galaxies was not even confirmed until the 20th century.

Awards and Later Years

Laplace was a member of several prestigious scientific organizations, including the Academie des Sciences, the Ecole Normale, and the Bureau des Longitudes, which he helped begin. He also became a count in 1806 and then a marquis in 1817.

Laplace died on March 5, 1827, while in Paris. His doctor removed his brain and it was on exhibit for several years thereafter.

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Re: ~ Famous Astronomers ~
« Reply #18 on: October 29, 2014, 07:12:55 PM »
Stephen Hawking



Born: Jan 8, 1942 in Oxford, England

Nationality: British

Famous For: A Brief History of Time, Hawking radiation, Singularity theorems

Awards: Albert Einstein Award (1978), Wolf Prize (1988), Prince of Asturias Award (1989), Copley Medal (2006), Presidential Medal of Freedom (2009), Special Fundamental Physics Prize (2012)
Stephen Hawking is a renowned theoretical physicist and astronomer. Currently, he works at the University of Cambridge as a physics professor and is still collecting awards attributed to his works. He is well known for his exploration and discovery pertaining to black holes and the fact that they produce radiation.

Hawking’s Background

Stephen Hawking’s background is an ambitious one. Born in the midst of World War II and on the 300th anniversary of Galileo’s death, Hawking’s mom had to be transferred to a safer place when she was about to give birth. This safer town was Oxford, the place in which he would be raised and receive his education.

The quality of the education at Oxford did not satisfy Hawking. It was his father’s idea for him to take a career similar to his and walk in his shoes in the medical field. But Stephen wanted something different. He was more inclined to science and wonder.

Despite his love for mathematics, Oxford College did not offer that discipline. Instead, he pursued chemistry as his main subject. From Oxford, he joined the University of Cambridge to undertake studies in cosmology and general relativity – the works of Einstein.

Hawking’s ASL Diagnosis

In 1963, at the age of 21, Hawking made frequent visits to the hospital for tests to explain his developing clumsiness that was becoming more persistent since his time at Oxford. Later, he was diagnosed with a motor neuron disease known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ASL).

This debilitating medical condition quickly deteriorated his health and doctors said he would not live long enough to complete his doctorate. But according to Hawking, he was enjoying life more than in the past and was determined to make grand strides in the field of astronomy.

Studying Black Holes

Ten years after his diagnosis, Hawking was fascinated by the works of theoretical physicists Alexander Starobinsky and Yakov Zeldovitch. They discussed the likelihood that radiation could be produced from black holes. He took the discussion seriously, verified it, and even predicted the amount of radiation that is produced. Although his calculation and formula are accurate, the technology to show this has not yet been developed.

His precise theoretical explanation was that particles are created in pairs, such as black and white pairs. In the process of a black hole formation, the black particles are absorbed, leaving the white particles without a partner. This appears as radiation and is measurable. Together with Brandon Carter, D. Robinson, and Werner Israel, they concluded that a black hole is described by three common properties: angular momentum, electric charge, and mass.

Hawking’s Other Contributions to Astronomy

In conjunction with Jim Hartle, Hawking was able to develop the no-boundary in space ideology that predicted a barred universe. A further dialogue with Neil Turok actually led to the conclusion that the proposal was in unison with the nature of the universe.

In addition, Stephen Hawking studied and contributed ideas to the field of astronomy including cosmic inflation, the density matrix of the universe, quantum cosmology, string theory and more. He has been awarded more than 15 awards due to his contributions to this science.

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Re: ~ Famous Astronomers ~
« Reply #19 on: October 29, 2014, 07:18:55 PM »
Thomas Gold



Born: May 22, 1920 in Vienna, Austria

Died: Jun 22, 2004 (at age 84) in Ithaca, New York

Nationality: Austrian, British, American

Famous For: Steady state theory, origin of abiogenic petroleum

Awards: John Frederick Lewis Award (1972), Humboldt Prize (1979), Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society (1985)

Thomas Gold was an astrophysicist and a professor of astronomy. He was also a member of the renowned National Academy of Sciences in the United States and a Fellow of the Royal Society in London. Gold was among three Cambridge scientists who proposed the theory of the steady state of the universe in the year 1950. Thomas’ work crossed scientific and academic boundaries into astronomy, geophysics, aerospace engineering and biophysics.

Gold’s Early Life

Thomas was born in 1920 in Vienna and attended the school at Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz located in Zuoz, Switzerland. He finished his schooling in 1938 and entered Trinity College in 1939 to study mechanical sciences. He graduated with a degree in 1942. Gold worked as an agricultural lumberjack and laborer in England. He later joined Fred Hoyle and Bondi on a naval research into ground clutter neat Dunsfold.

Thomas Gold’s Career Highlights

Gold and his friends spent their off duty hours in discussion on topics like mathematics, cosmology, and astrophysics. In a matter of months, Gold was put in charge of construction of new radar systems. He determined how the landing of craft could make use of radar in its navigation to a good landing spot on the D-Day. He discovered that the navy from Germany fitted snorkels to the U-Boats, hence making them operational underwater while getting air from the surface above.

Contribution to Astronomy

Thomas Gold sparked a controversy when he said that the surface of the moon was covered by a fine powder. In 1969, he was vindicated when the Apollo 11 group brought samples of lunar soil back to earth for research. Analysis proved that the soil was powder and each grain was layered by a thin metal coating which was caused by the penetration of wind. Gold designed the stereo camera which was carried to the lunar surfaces by the astronauts from the US.

Another theory by Gold that was believed to be true was his theory of pulsars. It stated that astronomical objects produce regular pulses of radio waves. He suggested that pulsars are actually neutron stars which emit these radio waves as they spin. His view was ignored at first, but it was later accepted after the finding of one pulsar in Crab Nebula.

Gold as an Author

Thomas Gold wrote a book in 1998 entitled The Deep Hot Biosphere. In this book, he stated that coal and oil are not remainders of an ancient life which became buried and underwent high pressures and temperatures. He argued that these deposits were produced from hydrocarbons dating to when the earth was created.

He further stated that the volatile gases migrated to the top of the earth through the cracks in the crust and leaked into the atmosphere either as methane or became trapped in the sub surface and became oil, coal, or tar after they lost hydrogen.

Gold’s Personal Life

Thomas Gold received several honors for the work he completed during his lifetime. He also served in the President’s Advisory Committee of Science. He had two marriages; the first one with Merle and the second one with Carvel. He had four daughters form both marriages. Thomas Gold died of heart disease in 2004. He was age 84.

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Re: ~ Famous Astronomers ~
« Reply #20 on: October 29, 2014, 07:23:00 PM »
Tycho Brahe



Born: Dec 14, 1546 in Knutstorp Castle, Scania, Denmark, Denmark–Norway

Died: Oct 24, 1601 (at age 54) in Prague, Holy Roman Empire

Nationality: Danish

Famous For: accurate and comprehensive astronomical and planetary observations

The Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe first became interested in astronomy when he realized that it could accurately predict the eclipse of the sun. During his time, the planetary tables astronomers used were inaccurate, which was a problem that he set out to change.

Brahe’s Early Life

Brahe was born in Knudstrup, a town which is now in Sweden. He was a twin, but his twin died shortly after birth. His parents were aristocrats, but when Brahe was a toddler he was taken in and raised by his uncle. He entered the University of Copenhagen at around age 12 and stayed there for six years.

The Immutability of the Heavens

On November 11, 1572, the first new star to be noticed in 1600 years appeared in the night sky in Cassiopeia. Brahe’s observations proved that this object actually was a star and, as a result, disproved the old idea that the heavens were immutable.

The star was actually a supernova, SN 1572, which was the remnants of an exploded star. In 1577, Brahe also destroyed the idea that comets originated in the earth’s atmosphere. He showed that the Great Comet of 1577 was actually a body that moved through space.

Brahe’s Career

Brahe worked on the island of Hven in Denmark for more than 20 years. He also built the Uraniborg and the Stjerneborg for him and his students to further their astronomical research and studies. The island had been granted to him by Frederick II, King of Denmark.

However, Brahe ran afoul of the government and moved to Prague in 1597. There he enjoyed the patronage of the Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolf II. Brahe not only studied astronomy, but drew up horoscopes for the court because astronomy and astrology were considered to be closely related.

To Brahe, the placement of the planets always seemed very different from where they were actually observed in the sky. Brahe decided to observe the planets in a systematic way and to observe them every night over a sustained period of time.

Other astronomers had performed their planetary observations when the planets were in critical points in their orbits. Brahe’s new technique of observing the planets may have been one of his greatest contributions to astronomy.

While in Prague, Brahe also met Johannes Kepler, the German astronomer. Kepler became his assistant and used Brahe’s observations to confirm and refine the Copernican system, which Brahe had rejected.

Brahe’s Nose

Tycho Brahe also studied at the University of Leipzig as well as the German universities of Wittenberg and Rostock, then the University of Basel in Switzerland. While he was at Rostock, Brahe fought a duel with a Danish nobleman. The nobleman cut off a bit of Brahe’s nose. After that, Brahe wore a prosthetic that was allegedly made of gold and silver, though he may have worn base metals for everyday use. Brahe used this disability to his advantage, for it inspired him to take up the study of alchemy and medicine.

Brahe’s Death

Tycho Brahe died in 1601 after a banquet. Most reports say that he died from a urinary or kidney problem, but some scholars believe he was poisoned. One of the murder suspects, interestingly, is Johannes Kepler. Also, there is a theory that his brother murdered him, too. Brahe’s body is buried in Prague.

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Re: ~ Famous Astronomers ~
« Reply #21 on: October 29, 2014, 07:27:15 PM »
William Herschel



Born: Nov 15, 1738 in Hanover, Brunswick-Lüneburg, Holy Roman Empire

Died: Aug 25, 1822 (at age 83) in Slough, England

Nationality: German, British

Famous For: Discovery of infrared radation & Uranus, deep sky surveys

In 1781, the German-English astronomer William Herschel sent shockwaves through the world of science when he discovered the planet Uranus. Since humans began observing the stars, the general consensus was that there were only five other planets in addition to the earth orbiting our sun. That there could be sixth planet in the heavens was almost unthinkable.

Herschel’s Early Years

William Herschel was born in Germany in 1738 (as Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel), but spent just about all of this adult life in England. From a very early age, people noticed his intelligence. His father, Isaac Herschel, was an oboist in a military band, and young William displayed an amazing natural talent for music. He quickly mastered the violin, harpsichord, and organ. He also began composing classical music of extraordinary quality.

Speaking Different Languages

As Herschel grew into his teens, he began to show that he could master any intellectual challenge. He demonstrated that he could learn other languages with ease. A native German speaker, he quickly learned English, French, and Italian. He also absorbed Latin and Greek, and he could also read and write in both languages.

Herschel Enters High Society

In his early 20s, Herschel moved to Sunderland, England, where he landed the prestigious “first violinist” position for the Newcastle Orchestra. Herschel’s enormous talent both with writing and performing music boosted him to the top tier of English society, living and working mostly in Bath.

Herschel was deeply interested in the theory of music as well. This led him to a fascination with mathematics. A meeting with British Royal Astronomer Nevil Maskelyne would bring him to his true life’s passion – building telescopes and observing the heavens. Once Herschel began studying astronomy, it became an obsession to him.

Building Telescopes

In his house in England, Herschel began grinding lenses to construct small reflecting telescopes, those that use mirrors rather than a lens as the primary light-gathering element. These are known as Newtonian telescopes because they were originally designed by the Isaac Newton.

Starting with small 6- to 8-inch reflecting mirrors, Herschel was driven to build bigger mirrors with increasing light-gathering power. Herschel once said that his goal was to “see deeper into space than any other man.” Eventually he did.

Herschel’s hand-made telescopes – which were certainly the finest in Europe – grew ever larger, culminating with his behemoth 40-inch mirror reflector which would be the largest telescope in the world for years to come.

Herschel’s Contributions to Astronomy

In addition to discovering the planet Uranus, Herschel was among the first to catalog deep space. Based on thousands of observations made over several decades, he was the first to construct, or at least attempt to determine, the shape of the galaxy by showing where and how stars are distributed throughout space. He is also credited with discovering infrared solar radiation, among other accomplishments.

Herschel’s talents as an observational astronomer, a theoretician, a telescope maker and an accomplished musician brought him fame and renown. King George of England frequently invited him to personal meetings and provided him with generous financial support.

Herschel’s Later Years and Death

Despite his fame, status and genius, Herschel was well-known to be extremely charming, kind, personable and even a humble man. He continued to be involved with music throughout his career as an astronomer. He died at age 83 in 1822 in Slough, England, where he had lived for many years.

His only son, John Herschel, went on to become an astronomer and scientist of great skill. His devoted sister and lifetime observational assistant, Caroline Herschel, also became an accomplished astronomer in her own right.