Historical Figures in Astronomy

In this section we highlight individuals who have contributed to the fields of astronomy and cosmology. Looking across their contributions, one can see how the knowledge of one astronomer built upon the work of others, a notion captured in Isaac Newton's famous quote: "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." You may choose to share one or more of the historical figures with your students, or have teams of students investigate all of the individuals. Some sites in this section may be above the reading level of middle school students and will require guidance from you. You might ask: Can students articulate how each person's contribution relates to others'? How did each person's findings impact history, society, and culture?

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History and Philosophy of Western Astronomy http://www.astronomynotes.com/history/s1.htm

The introduction to this resource is followed by three sequenced pages describing the work of Plato, Aristotle, Ptolemy, Copernicus, and Brahe and enhanced with photos, animations, and maps. The final page includes a vocabulary and review questions. MSP full record

Nicholas Copernicus http://www.windows.ucar.edu/cgi-bin/tour.cgi?link=/people/ren_epoch/copernicus.html%26d=%26frp=/windows3.html%26fr=f%26sw=false%26edu=mid%26art=ok%26cdp=/windows3.html%26cd=false%26back=/search/search_navigation.html

A brief description of Copernicus's major contribution to astronomy is part of a larger project called Windows to the Universe. Along with a portrait of Copernicus, the page includes a link to the Ptolemaic model and links to other information. MSP full record

Galileo’s Biography http://galileo.rice.edu/bio/index.html

This biography page is from the larger Galileo Project, a comprehensive site on the work, life, times, and impact of Galileo. MSP full record

Kepler's Laws with Animation http://home.cvc.org/science/kepler.htm

This site shows animations of Kepler's laws applied. Scroll down the page to find biographical information on Kepler and Tycho Brahe. MSP full record

BBC Historic Figures: Isaac Newton http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/newton_isaac.shtml

This concise biography includes an image of Newton and links to related external sites: a news article about a collection of Newton’s papers; The Newton Project web site; and a lengthy biography. MSP full record

Understanding the Universe: Stargazers http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schooladventures/universe/stargazers/index.html

Appropriate for middle school readers, this page from the American Museum of Natural History features 10 scientists and astronomers, including Einstein and Hubble. Users click on pictures of the individuals to learn more about them. MSP full record

Famous Astronomers and Astrophysicists http://cnr2.kent.edu/~manley/astronomers.html

This page chronologically lists dozens of astronomers and other scientists, beginning with Copernicus, categorized by the Classical period, Nobel laureates, and others. Years of birth and death are given along with a couple of sentences regarding the person's work. Each name is linked to a page with more information sources. Be warned that some of the links are no longer active. Even so, this list brings to one's attention the less commonly known scientists whose work nonetheless contributed to advances. MSP full record

Stephen Hawking: A Life in Science 2nd Ed. http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=10375

With a career that began over 30 years ago at Cambridge University, Stephen Hawking may have done more than any other scientist to broaden our basic understanding of the universe. His theoretical work on black holes and his progress in advancing our knowledge of the origin and nature of the cosmos have been groundbreaking. This publication from the National Academies Press can be downloaded for a fee. MSP full record

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Copyright November 2007 — The Ohio State University. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0424671. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.