Photo: Olegkalina/Depositphotos
Since the beginning of recorded history, our universe has provoked questions and sparked curiosity.
Nebulae, planets, galaxies, asteroids, black holesthe list of fascinating celestial objects goes on and on.
So who are the most famous astronomers in history?
Photo: Olegkalina/Depositphotos
Of course, no list of famous astronomers would be complete without Albert Einstein.
As one of the best scientific minds in history, his work on relativity changed astronomy.
Interested in the people who help us understand the cosmos?
A depiction of the Ptolemaic Universe as described in the “Planetary Hypotheses” by Bartolomeu Velho (1568). (Photo:Bartolomeu Velho, via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Here is our list of 14 famous astronomers everyone needs to know.
This Ptolemaic view of the universe stated that the Earth was at its center.
The Sun, Moon, stars, and planets all revolved around it in circular paths at constant speeds.
Copernicus' diagram of his heliocentric universe. (Photo:De Revolutionibus, via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Nicolaus Copernicus
Copernicus' diagram of his heliocentric universe.
This support would, unfortunately for him, eventually cause him to be put under house arrest.
Johannes Kepler
Portrait of Johannes Kepler by Unknown Artist.
“Portrait of Galileo” byJustus Sustermans, via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
And, they are still used by astronomers today.
In addition, Kepler was also the first astronomer to explain how the Moon influenced tides.
Christiaan Huygens
Portrait of Christiaan Huygens by Bernard Vaillant.
Portrait of Johannes Kepler by Unknown Artist. (Photo:Kepler-Museum in Weil der Stadt, via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
He also built the first reflecting telescope and is known for his important studies of light.
William Herschel
William Herschel and Caroline Herschel by A. Diethe.
This system for organizing and classifying stars according to temperature and spectral types is still used today.
Portrait of Christiaan Huygens by Bernard Vaillant. 1686. (Photo:Huygensmuseum Hofwijck, via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Henrietta Swan Leavitt
Henrietta Swan Leavitt at her desk at the Harvard College Observatory.
His theory replaced much of Isaac Newton’s theory of mechanics.
Edwin Hubble
Edwin Hubble ins 1931.
Engraving of Sir Isaac Newton (Photo:John Vanderbankvia Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
When working at the Mount Wilson Observatory in California, he discovered the Andromeda and Triangulum Galaxies.
He also organized galaxies into three classes still used todayspiral, elliptical, and lenticular.
Hubble fundamentally changed the way astronomers viewed the universe by also establishing Hubble’s Law.
Edmond Halley by Godfrey Kneller (Photo:Royal Museums Greenwich, via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
William K. Hartmann
William Kenneth Hartmann being interviewed in 1998.
Hartmann’s theory stated that the Moon was formed after a collision between Earth and a proto-planet called Theia.
This impact, according to the theory, is also responsible for the Earth’s tilt.
William Herschel and Caroline Herschel by A. Diethe. c. 1896. (Photo:Wellcome Library, via Wikimedia Commons,CC BY 4.0)
He also predicted that black holes emit radiation, which is now called Hawking radiation.
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Annie Jump Cannon in 1922 (Photo:Library of Congress, via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Henrietta Swan Leavitt at her desk at the Harvard College Observatory. (Photo:American Institute of Physics, Emilio Segrè Visual Archive, via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Albert Einstein during a lecture in Vienna in 1921 (Photo:F. Schmutzervia Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Edwin Hubble ins 1931. (Photo:Johan Hagemeyer, via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
William Kenneth Hartmann being interviewed in 1998. (Photo:WGBH and the Library of Congress, via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Stephen Hawking enjoying zero gravity during a flight aboard a modified Boeing 727 aircraft in 2007. (Photo:Jim Campbell/Aero-News Networkvia Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
