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Astronomer
*** Shopping-Tip: Astronomer
An '''astronomer''' or '''astrophysicist''' is a person whose area of interest is
astronomy or
astrophysics.
Image:Johannes Helvelius.jpg right|thumb|180px|[[Johannes Hevelius was famed for his work on
sunspots, and being the first to study the surface of the
moon.]]
Cultures around the world appear to have taken an interest in the sky since
Prehistory prehistoric times. Independently, some of these cultures began to support groups of scribes or priests who dedicated themselves to the observation of objects in the heavens. The observation of the motions of the planets, and prediction of their future motions, was the chief occupation of
History of Astronomy ancient astronomy. In the west, astronomy is generally thought to have begun in
ancient history ancient Mesopotamia. Recent studies of Babylonian records have shown them to be extremely accurate for the ancient night sky.
It is important to recognize that before about
1750,
astrology was considered to be a science closely allied to
astronomy. In some times and places, the two have been regarded as identical.
Astronomers, unlike most scientists, cannot interact with the objects that they study. They instead must resort to detailed
observation in order to make discoveries. Generally, astronomers use
telescopes or other imaging equipment to make such observations. The job itself is involved with travel to remote locations to study as well.
A sampling of famous astronomers
{| {{prettytable}}
|-
!Astronomer
!Contribution
|-
|-
|
Hipparchus (astronomer) Hipparchus and
Ptolemy
|Determined the positions of about 1,000 bright stars, tried to explain the puzzles of astronomy without refuting only believed geocentric model of universe and classified stars by
Apparent magnitude magnitude.
|-
|
Aristarchus of Samos
|First known person to propound the
Heliocentrism heliocentric model of universe. Attempted to calculate the sizes and distances of the Sun and Moon.
|-
|
Nasir al-Din al-Tusi
|This Persian astronomer gave the first extant exposition of the whole system of plane and spherical
trigonometry. Made very accurate tables of
planetary movements and named many
stars. Developed the
Tusi-couple which resolves linear motion into the sum of two circular motions. He also calculated the value of 51' for the
precession of the
equinoxes and contributed to construction and usage of
astrolabe.
|-
|
copernicus Nicolaus Copernicus
|First exponent of heliocentrism in modern times.
|-
|
Tycho Brahe
|Did develop many important astronomical instruments, and achieved accurate measurments of the heavens by improving scentific methodology and by designing instruments on a large scale. His measurements of the orbit of Mars were very important to the development of astronomy.
|-
|
Johannes Kepler
|Suggested the
Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion elliptical orbits of planets, and propounded his ''
Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion Laws of Planetary Motion''.
|-
|
Galileo Galilei
|Was the first to use the
telescope to observe the sky. Condemned to house arrest for his discoveries by
Inquisitional edict, which was lifted 359 years later by
Pope John Paul II.
|-
|
Isaac Newton
|Published ''Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica'' (
1687), containing the "
Newton's laws of motion", which are fundamental to mechanical physics, and which explained Kepler's laws of planetary motion. Predicted the orbits of the
planets.
|-
|
Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
|Extensive work on the internal mechanisms of stars, particularly known for determining the effect of
special relativity on stars, including being the first to calculate the
Chandrasekhar limit, which he did, without a calculator, on a boat journey.
|-
|
Henrietta Swan Leavitt
|Catalogued
Cepheid variable stars in the
Magellanic Clouds, in
1912 discovered the relationship between luminosty and periodicity in Cepheids -- leading to
Ejnar Hertzsprung Hertzprung's later work.
|-
|
Ejnar Hertzsprung
|determined the distance to several
Cepheid variable Cepheids, when Cepheids were detected in other
galaxy galaxies such as the
Andromeda galaxy, the distance to those galaxies could then be determined.
|-
|
Edwin Hubble
|Discovered the expansion of the universe. (
Hubble's Law)
Hubble Space Telescope The Hubble Orbiting Space Telescope was named in his honor.
|}
See also
*
Amateur astronomy
*
List of astronomers
----
There is also a well-known painting by
Johannes Vermeer titled ''The Astronomer'', which is often linked to Vermeer's ''The
Geographer''. These paintings are both thought to represent the growing influence and rise in prominence of scientific inquiry in
Europe at the time of their painting,
1668-
1669 69.
----
Category:Astronomers
Category:Science occupations
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