List of astronomers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The following list of astronomers include famous astronomers and astrophysicists that have made important contributions to the field of astronomy, and have been widely recognized by their peers or historians. They may have won major prizes or awards, developed or invented widely used techniques or technologies within astronomy, or be directors of major observatories or heads of space-based telescope projects.
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[edit] A
- Marc Aaronson (USA, (1950 – 1987)
- George Ogden Abell (USA, 1927 – 1983)
- Antonio Abetti (Italy, 1846 – 1928)
- Giorgio Abetti (Italy, 1882 – 1982)
- Charles Greeley Abbot (USA, 1872 – 1973)
- Charles Hitchcock Adams (USA, 1868 – 1951)
- John Couch Adams (UK, 1819 – 1892)
- Walter Sydney Adams (USA, 1876 – 1956)
- Saul Adelman (USA, 1944 – )
- Petrus Alphonsi (Spain) (Jewish Spanish) (1062-1110)
- Agrippa (Greek, unknown ca. 92)
- Paul Oswald Ahnert (Germany, 1897 – 1989)
- Eva Ahnert-Rohlfs (Germany, 1912 – 1954)
- George Biddell Airy, (England, 1801 – 1892)
- Robert Aitken, (USA, 1864 – 1951)
- Al Battani (Iraq, 850 – 929)
- Albategnius (see Al-Batani)
- Vladimir Aleksandrovich Albitzky (Russia, 1891 – 1952)
- Albumasar (Persia 787 - 886)
- George Alcock (UK, 1913 – 2000)
- Harold Alden (USA, 1890 – 1964)
- Hannes Alfvén (Sweden, 1908 – 1995)
- Lawrence H. Aller (USA, 1913 – 2003)
- Abd Al-Rahman Al Sufi, (Persia, 903 – 986)
- Viktor Amazaspovich Ambartsumian, (Armenia, 1912 – 1996)
- John August Anderson, (USA, 1876 – 1959)
- Andronicus of Cyrrhus, (Greek, unknown ca. 100 BC)
- Anders Jonas Ångström (Sweden, 1814 – 1874)
- Eugène Michel Antoniadi (Greece, France, 1870 – 1944)
- Petrus Apianus (Germany, 1495 – 1557)
- François Arago (France, 1786 – 1853)
- Sylvain Arend (Belgium, 1902 – 1992)
- Friedrich Wilhelm Argelander (Germany, 1799 – 1875)
- Aristarchus of Samos (Greek, circa 310 BC – circa 230 BC)
- Christoph Arnold (Germany, 1650 – 1695)
- Halton Christian Arp (USA, 1927 –)
- Svante Arrhenius (Sweden, 1859 – 1927)
- Arzachel (Muslim from Spain), (1028 – 1087)
- Goryu Asada (Japan, 1734 –1799)
- Giuseppe Asclepi (Italy, 1706 – 1776)
- Joseph Ashbrook (USA, April 4, 1918 – August 4, 1980)
- Arthur Auwers (Germany, 1838 – 1915)
- Adrien Auzout (France, 1622 – 1691)
- David Axon (England, 1951 –)
- Aryabhata (India, 476)
[edit] B
- Walter Baade (Germany, 1893 – 1960)
- Harold D. Babcock (USA, 1882 – 1968)
- Horace W. Babcock (USA, 1912 – 2003)
- Oskar Backlund (Sweden, 1846 – 1916)
- John N. Bahcall (USA, 1934 – 2005)
- Benjamin Baillaud (France, 1848 – 1934)
- Jean-Baptiste Baille (France, 1841 – 1918)
- Jean Sylvain Bailly (France, 1736 – 1793)
- Francis Baily (UK, 1774 – 1844)
- John Bainbridge (UK, 1582 – 1643)
- John E. Baldwin (UK, 1934 – )
- Sallie Baliunas (USA, 1953 – )
- Zoltán Balog (Hungary,USA, 1972 – )
- Benjamin Banneker (USA, 1731 – 1806)
- Edward Emerson Barnard (USA, 1857 – 1923)
- Johann Bayer (Germany, 1572 – 1625)
- Antonín Bečvář (Slovakia, 1901 – 1965)
- Wilhelm Beer (Germany, 1797 – 1850)
- Sergei Ivanovich Belyavsky (Russia, 1883 – 1953)
- Charles L. Bennett (USA, 1956- present)
- Jocelyn Bell Burnell (Ireland, 1943 – )
- Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel (Germany, 1784 – 1846)
- Somnath Bharadwaj (India)
- William Pendry Bidelman (USA) 1918 - present)
- Wilhelm Freiherr von Biela (Austria, 1782 – 1856)
- Ludwig Biermann (Germany, 1907 – 1986)
- Wolf Bickel (Germany, [born] – [died])
- Guillaume Bigourdan (France, 1851 – 1932)
- James Binney (United Kingdom, 1950 - present)
- Biruni (Persia 973 - 1048)
- Gennady S. Bisnovatyi-Kogan (Russia,1941-present)
- Adriaan Blaauw (Netherlands, 1914 – )
- Nathaniel Bliss (UK, 1700 – 1764)
- Johann Elert Bode (Germany, 1747 – 1826)
- Alfred Bohrmann (Germany, 1904 – 2000)
- Bart Bok (Netherlands, 1906 – 1983)
- Charles Thomas Bolton (USA, 1943 – )
- John Gatenby Bolton (UK, Australia, 1922 – 1993)
- William Cranch Bond (USA, 1789 – 1859)
- Alphonse Borrelly (France, 1842 – 1926)
- Rudjer Boscovich (Dalmatia, 1711 – 1787)
- Lewis Boss (USA, 1846 – 1912)
- Alexis Bouvard (France, 1767 – 1843)
- Rychard Bouwens (USA, 1972 – )
- Edward (Ted) L. G. Bowell (USA, 1943 – )
- Ira Sprague Bowen (USA, 1898 – 1973)
- Louis Boyer (France)
- Ronald N. Bracewell (Australia, USA, 1921 – 2007)
- James Bradley (England, 1693 – 1762)
- Tycho Brahe (Denmark, 1546 – 1601)
- John Alfred Brashear (USA, 1840 – 1920)
- William Robert Brooks (USA, 1844 – 1922)
- Theodor Brorsen (Denmark, 1819 – 1895)
- Dirk Brouwer (Netherlands–USA, 1902 – 1966)
- Ernest William Brown (UK, 1866 – 1938)
- Michael (Mike) E. Brown (USA, 1965 – )
- Hermann Alexander Brück (Germany, 1905 – 2000)
- Ismael Bullialdus (France, 1605 – 1694)
- Margaret Burbidge (UK, 1919 – )
- Robert Burnham, Jr. (USA, 1931 – 1993)
- Sherburne Wesley Burnham (1838 – 1921)
- Schelte J. Bus (USA, 1956 – )
[edit] C
- William Wallace Campbell (USA, 1862 – 1938)
- Annie Jump Cannon (USA, 1863 – 1941)
- Luigi Carnera (Italy, 1875 – 1962)
- Edwin Francis Carpenter (USA, 1898 – 1963)
- James Carpenter (UK, 1840 – 1899)
- Richard Christopher Carrington (UK, 1826 – 1875)
- Sir John Carroll (UK, 1899 – 1974)
- César-François Cassini de Thury (France, 1714 – 1784)
- Dominique, comte de Cassini (France, 1748 – 1845)
- Giovanni Domenico Cassini a.k.a. Jean-Dominique Cassini (France, 1625 – 1712)
- Jacques Cassini (France, 1677 – 1756)
- Bonaventura Cavalieri (Italy, 1598 – 1647)
- Anders Celsius, (1701 – 1744)
- Vincenzo Cerulli, (Italy, 1859 – 1927)
- Jean Chacornac (France, 1823 – 1873)
- James Challis (UK, 1803 – 1882)
- Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (India, USA, 1910 – 1995)
- Carl Charlier (Sweden, 1862 – 1934)
- Auguste Charlois (France, 1864 – 1910)
- Lyudmila Ivanovna Chernykh (Russia?, Ukraine)
- Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh (Russia, Ukraine, 1931 – )
- James Christy (USA, 1938 – )
- Edwin Foster Coddington (USA, 1870 – 1950)
- Jérôme Eugène Coggia (France, 1849 – 1919)
- Josep Comas Solá (Spain)
- Andrew Ainslie Common (UK, 1841 – 1903)
- Guy Consolmagno (USA, 1952 – )
- E. J. Cooper (Ireland, 1798 – 1863)
- Nicolaus Copernicus (1473 – 1543)
- Corsono Carsono (Spain)
- Pablo Cottenot (France)
- Heather Couper (UK, 1949 – )
- Leopold Courvoisier (Switzerland, 1873 – 1955)
- Arthur Edwin Covington (Canada, 1914 – 2001)
- Philip Herbert Cowell (UK, 1870 – 1949)
- Thomas George Cowling (UK, 1906 – 1990)
- Andrew Claude de la Cherois Crommelin (UK, 1865 – 1939)
- James Cuffey (USA, 1911 – 1999)
- Heber Doust Curtis (USA, 1872 – 1942)
- Bobby Trafton Fjerstad (USA 1998- )
[edit] D
- Jacques Eugène d'Allonville (France, 1671 – 1732)
- Andre Louis Danjon (France, 1890 – 1967)
- Heinrich d'Arrest (Germany, 1822 – 1875)
- George Howard Darwin (UK, 1845 – 1912)
- Roger Davies (UK, 1954- )
- William Rutter Dawes (UK, 1799 – 1868)
- Bernhard Dawson (Argentina, 1890 – 1960)
- Leo de Ball (Germany, Austria, 1853 – 1916)
- Henri Debehogne (Belgium)
- Annibale de Gasparis (Italy, 1819 – 1892)
- Jean Baptiste Joseph Delambre (France, 1749 – 1822)
- Charles-Eugène Delaunay (France, 1816 – 1872)
- Eugène Joseph Delporte (Belgium, 1882 – 1955)
- Audrey Delsanti
- William Frederick Denning (UK, 1848 – 1931)
- Alíz Derekas (Hungary, 1977 – )
- Willem de Sitter (Netherlands, 1872 – 1934)
- Henri-Alexandre Deslandres (France, 1853 – 1948)
- Alexander Nikolaevich Deutsch (Russia)
- Gérard de Vaucouleurs (France, USA, 1918 – 1995)
- Robert Dicke (USA, 1916 – 1997)
- Terence Dickinson, (Canada), astronomer and author
- Thomas Digges (England, 1546 – 1595)
- Herbert Dingle (USA, 1890 – 1978)
- Andrea Di Paola (Italy)
- Ewine van Dishoeck (Netherlands, 1955 – )
- David Dodge, (Canada) (1949 – )
- Franjo Dominko, (Slovenia, 1903 – 1987)
- Giovanni Battista Donati, (Italy, 1826 – 1873)
- Frank Drake (USA, 1930 – )
- Henry Draper (USA, 1837 – 1882)
- John Dreyer (Ireland, 1852 – 1926)
- Alexander D. Dubyago (Russia), 1903 – 1959)
- Dmitrij I. Dubyago (Russia), 1850 – 1918)
- Jean C. B. Dufay (France, 1896 – 1967)
- Raymond Smith Dugan (USA, 1878 – 1940)
- Petar Đurković (Serbia, 1908 – 1981)
- Frank Watson Dyson (UK, 1868 – 1939)
[edit] E
- Arthur Eddington, (England), (1882 – 1944)
- Frank K. Edmondson, (USA), (1912 – 2008)
- Olin J. Eggen (USA, 1919 – 1998)
- Eise Eisinga (Netherlands, 1744 – 1828)
- Eric Elst (Belgium)
- Johann Franz Encke (Germany, 1791 – 1865)
- Eratosthenes (Alexandria, 276 BC – 194 BC)
- Emil Ernst (Ph.D. Germany)
- Ernest Esclangon, (France, 1876 – 1954)
- Larry W. Esposito (USA)
- Eudoxus (Cnidus, circa 408 BC – circa 347 BC)
- Albert Einstein (Germany) March 14 1879- April 18 1955
[edit] F
- David Fabricius (Netherlands, 1564 – 1617)
- Sandra M. Faber (USA, 1945-)
- Johannes Fabricius (Netherlands, 1587 – 1615)
- Fearon Fallows (UK, 1789 – 1831)
- Hervé Faye (1814 – 1902)
- Charles Fehrenbach (France, 1914 – 2008)
- Farghani (Persia, d. after 861)
- James Ferguson (USA, 1797 – 1867)
- Alex Filippenko (USA, 1958 – )
- Erwin Finlay-Freundlich (1885 – 1964)
- Axel Firsoff (UK, 1910 – 1981)
- J. Richard Fisher
- Camille Flammarion (France, 1842 – 1925)
- Gabrielle Renaudot Flammarion (France, 1867 – 1962)
- John Flamsteed, (England, 1646 – 1719)
- Honoré Flaugergues (France, 1755 – 1835)
- Williamina Fleming (USA, 1857 – 1911)
- Wilhelm Julius Foerster (Germany, 1832 – 1921)
- Alfred Fowler (UK, 1868 – 1940)
- William Alfred Fowler (USA, 1911 – 1995)
- Philip Fox (USA, 1878 – 1944)
- Andrew Fraknoi (USA, 1948-)
- Joseph von Fraunhofer (Germany, 1787 – 1826)
- Herbert Friedman (USA, 1916 – 2000 )
- Dirk D. Frimout, (Belgium, 1941 – ), engineer and cosmonaut
- Edwin Brant Frost (USA, 1866 – 1935)
[edit] G
- Bryan Gaensler (Australia)
- Gan De (China, fl. 4th century BC)
- Galileo Galilei (Italy, 1564 – 1642)
- Julio Garavito Armero
- Gautama Siddha (China, fl. 8th century AD)
- Johann Gottfried Galle (Germany, 1812 – 1910)
- George Gamow (Russia, USA, 1904 – 1968)
- Carl Friedrich Gauss (Germany, 1777 – 1855)
- Tom Gehrels (Netherlands, USA, 1925 – )
- Andrea Ghez (USA)
- Riccardo Giacconi (Italy, 1931 – )
- Michel Giacobini (France, 1873 – 1938)
- Henry Lee Giclas (USA)
- David Gill (UK, 1843 – 1914)
- Thomas Gold (USA, 1920 – 2004)
- Leo Goldberg (USA, 1913 – 1987)
- Peter Goldreich (USA, 1939 – )
- Hermann Mayer Salomon Goldschmidt (Germany, 1802 – 1866)
- François Gonnessiat (France, 1856 – 1934)
- John Goodricke (UK, 1764 – 1786)
- Abu Sa'id Gorgani (Persia, 9th century)
- Hatice Nüzhet Gökdoğan (Turkey, 1910 – [[2003)
- Paul Götz (Germany)
- Benjamin Apthorp Gould (USA, 1824 – 1896)
- Andrew Graham (Ireland, 1815 – 1907)
- Charles Green (England, 1735 – 1771)
- Jesse Greenstein (USA, 1909 – 2002)
- John Grunsfeld (USA, 1956 – )
- Jay U. Gunter, (United States, 1911 - 1994)
- Alexander A. Gurshtein
- Bengt Gustafsson, (Sweden, 1943 – )
- Guo Shoujing (China, 1231 – 1316)
- Alan Harvey Guth (USA, 1947 – )
[edit] H
- Yusuke Hagihara (Japan, 1897 –1979)
- George Ellery Hale (USA, 1868 – 1938)
- Asaph Hall (USA, 1829 – 1907)
- Edmond Halley (England, 1656 – 1742)
- Peter Andreas Hansen (December 8, 1795 – March 28, 1874)
- Abulfazl Harawi (Persia, 10th century)
- Karl Ludwig Harding (Germany, 1765 – 1834)
- Thomas Hariot (UK, 1560 – 1621)
- Guillermo Haro (Mexico, 1913 – 1988)
- Robert G. Harrington (USA)
- Robert Sutton Harrington (USA, 1942 – 1993)
- Edward Robert Harrison (UK/USA, 1917 – 2007)
- William Kenneth Hartmann (USA, 1939 – )
- Stephen Hawking (UK, 1942 – )
- Will Hay (UK, 1888 - 1949)
- John Frederick Heard (Canada, 1907 - 1976)
- Otto Hermann Leopold Heckmann (Germany, 1901 – 1983)
- Carl Heiles (USA, 1939 – )
- Joseph Helffrich (Germany, 1872 - ?)
- Eleanor Helin (USA)
- Maximilian Hell (Austria-Hungary, 1720 – 1792)
- Karl Ludwig Hencke (Germany, 1793 – 1866)
- Thomas Henderson (Scotland, 1798 – 1844)
- Paul Henry (France, 1848 – 1905)
- Prosper Henry (France, 1849 – 1903)
- Abraham bar Hiyya (Spanish Jewish), (1070-1136)
- George Howard Herbig (USA, 1920 – )
- Caroline Herschel (UK, 1750 – 1848)
- John Herschel (UK, 1792 – 1871)
- Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel (UK/Germany) (German) (1738 – 1822)
- Ejnar Hertzsprung (Denmark, 1873 – 1967)
- Johannes Hevelius (1611 – 1687)
- Antony Hewish (UK, 1924 – )
- George William Hill (USA, 1838 – 1914)
- John Russell Hind (UK, 1823 – 1895)
- Hipparchus (Nicaea, circa 190 BC – 120 BC)
- Kiyotsugu Hirayama (Japan, 1874 – 1943)
- Shin Hirayama (Japan, 1868 – 1945)
- Gustave-Adolphe Hirn (France, 1815 – 1890)
- Cuno Hoffmeister (Germany, 1892 – 1968)
- Dorrit Hoffleit (USA, 1907 – 2007 )
- Helen Sawyer Hogg (Canada, 1905 – 1993)
- Minoru Honda (Japan, 1917 –1990)
- Kamil Hornoch (Czech Republic, 1972 –)
- Jeremiah Horrocks (UK, c1619 – 1641)
- Cornelis Johannes van Houten (Netherlands, 1920 – August 24, 2002)
- Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld (Netherlands)
- Martin van den Hove (Netherlands, 1605 – 1639)
- Fred Hoyle (UK, 1915 – 2001)
- Edwin Powell Hubble (USA, 1889 – 1953)
- William Huggins (UK, 1824 – 1910)
- Russell Alan Hulse (USA, 1950 – )
- Hendrik Christoffel van de Hulst (Netherlands, 1918 – 2000)
- Milton Lasell Humason (USA, 1891 – 1972)
- Christiaan Huygens (Netherlands, 1629 – 1695)
- Josef Allen Hynek (USA, 1910 – 1986)
[edit] I
- I Sin (China, 683 – 727)
- Icko Iben, Jr. (1931 – )
- Kaoru Ikeya (Japan)
- Robert Thorburn Ayton Innes (Scotland, South Africa, 1861 – 1933)
- Edward Israel (USA, 1859 – 1884)
[edit] J
- Cyril V. Jackson (South Africa)
- Karl Guthe Jansky (USA, 1905 – 1950)
- Pierre Jules César Janssen (France, 1824 – 1907)
- James Jeans (UK,1877 – 1946)
- Benjamin Jekhowsky (Russia, France, Algeria, 1881 – 1953)
- Louise Freeland Jenkins (USA, 1888 – 1970)
- David Jewitt
- Jiao Bingzhen (China, 1689 – 1726)
- Alfred Harrison Joy (USA, 1882 – 1973)
[edit] K
- Franz Kaiser (Germany, 1891 – 1962)
- Piet van de Kamp (Netherlands, USA, 1901 – 1995)
- Henry Kandrup (USA, 1955 – 2003)
- Jacobus Kapteyn (Netherlands, 1851 – 1922)
- Lyudmila Georgievna Karachkina (Ukraine)
- Ghiyath al-Kashi (Persia, 1380 - 1429)
- James Edward Keeler (USA, 1857 – 1900)
- Johannes Kepler (Germany, 1571 – 1630)
- Omar Khayyám (Persia, 1048 – 1131)
- Al-Khujandi (Persia, 10th century)
- Khwarizmi, (Persia, 780 – 850)
- Abdullah Kızılırmak, (Turkey, 1925 – 1983)
- Kidinnu (Babylon, 4th century BC ; d. 330 BC?)
- Hisashi Kimura (Japan, 1870 –1943)
- Daniel Kirkwood (USA, 1814 – 1895)
- Robert Kirshner (USA)
- Ernst Friedrich Wilhelm Klinkerfues (Germany, 1827 – 1884)
- Viktor Knorre (Russia, 1840 – 1919)
- Takao Kobayashi (Japan)
- Luboš Kohoutek (1935 – )
- Stefanie Komossa (Germany)
- Zdeněk Kopal (Czech Republic, UK, USA, 1914 – 1993)
- August Kopff (Germany, 1882 – 1960)
- Korado Korlević (Croatia)
- Charles T. Kowal (USA, 1940 – )
- Robert Kraft
- Ľubor Kresák (Slovakia, 1927 – 1994)
- Heinrich Kreutz (Germany, 1854 – 1927)
- Gerard Kuiper (Netherlands, USA, 1905 – 1973)
- Yoshio Kushida (Japan, 1957 – )
- İbrahim Küçük (Turkey, 1960 – )
[edit] L
- Nicolas Louis de Lacaille (France, 1713 – 1762)
- Claes-Ingvar Lagerkvist (Sweden)
- Joseph-Louis Lagrange (France, 1736 – 1813)
- Jérôme Lalande (France, 1732 – 1807)
- Johann Heinrich Lambert (France, Germany, 1728 – 1777)
- Samuel Pierpont Langley (USA, 1834 – 1906)
- Pierre-Simon Laplace (France, 1749 – 1827)
- William Lassell (UK, 1799 – 1880)
- A. Laurent (France)
- Henrietta Swan Leavitt (USA, 1868 – 1921)
- Typhoon Lee (USA and Taiwan)
- Guillaume Le Gentil (France, 1725 – 1792)
- Georges Lemaître (Belgium, 1894 – 1966)
- Pierre Lemonnier (France, 1715 – 1799)
- Armin Leuschner (Germany, 1868 – 1953)
- Urbain Le Verrier (France, 1811 – 1877)
- David Levy (Canada)
- Li Fan (China, fl. 1st century AD)
- Bertil Lindblad (Sweden, 1895 – 1965)
- Adolph Friedrich Lindemann (Germany/UK, 1846 – 1927)
- Chris Lintott (United Kingdom, 1980 – )
- Joseph Johann Littrow (Austria, 1781 – 1840)
- Karl L. Littrow (Austria, 1811 – 1877)
- Liu Xin (China, fl. 1st century AD)
- Joseph Lockyer (UK, 1836 – 1920)
- Maurice Loewy (Austria/France, 1833 – 1907)
- Christian Sørensen Longomontanus (Denmark, 1562 – 1647)
- Percival Lowell (USA, 1855 – 1916)
- Àngel López (Spain)
- Álvaro López-García (Spain)
- John William Lubbock (UK, 1803 – 1865)
- Knut Lundmark (Sweden, 1889 – 1958)
- Robert Luther (Germany, 1822 – 1900)
- Lupitus of Barcelona (Spain)
- Jane Luu (South Vietnam, USA 1965 – )
- Willem Luyten (Dutch East Indies, Netherlands, 1899 – 1994)
- Donald Lynden-Bell (UK, 1935 – )
- Bernard Lyot (France, 1897 – 1952)
[edit] M
- Ma Yize (China, 910 – 1005)
- Adriaan van Maanen (USA, 1884 – 1946)
- George Parker, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield (UK, c. 1697 – 1764)
- Amy Mainzer (USA)
- Steve Mandel (USA)
- Geoff Marcy (USA, 1954 – )
- Simon Marius (Germany, 1573 – 1624)
- Brian Marsden (USA, 1937 – )
- Albert Marth (Germany, 1828 – 1897)
- Nevil Maskelyne (UK, 1732 – 1811)
- Charles Mason (UK, USA, 1730 – 1787)
- John C. Mather (USA, 1946 – )
- Janet Akyüz Mattei (Turkey/USA, 1943 – 2004)
- Edward Walter Maunder (UK, 1851 – 1928)
- Pierre Louis Maupertuis (France, 1698 – 1759)
- Alain Maury (France)
- Matthew Fontaine Maury USA (Jan.14,1806 – Feb.1, 1873)
- Brian May (UK, 1947 – ) astronomer and musician
- Cornell Mayer (USA, 1922 – 2005)
- Tobias Mayer (Germany, 1723 – 1762)
- Christopher McKee (USA, 1942 – )
- Robert S. McMillan (USA)
- William H. McCrea (UK, 1904 – 1999)
- Bruce A. McIntosh (Canada, 1929 – )
- Robert H. McNaught (Australia)
- Pierre Méchain (France, 1744 – 1804)
- Thebe Medupe (South Africa)
- Karen Jean Meech (USA)
- Aden Baker Meinel (USA, 1922 – )
- Fulvio Melia (USA, 1956 – )
- Philibert Jacques Melotte (UK, 1880 – 1961)
- Paul Willard Merrill (USA, 1887 – 1961)
- David Merritt (USA)
- Charles Messier (France, 1730 – 1817)
- Joel Hastings Metcalf (USA, 1866 – 1925)
- Andreas Gerasimos Michalitsianos (USA, 1947 – 1997)
- John Michell (UK, 1724 – 1793)
- Elia Millosevich (Italy, 1848 – 1919)
- Edward Arthur Milne (UK, 1896 – 1950)
- Rudolph Minkowski (Germany, 1895 – 1976)
- Marcel Gilles Jozef Minnaert (Belgium, Netherlands, 1893 – 1970)
- Maria Mitchell (USA, 1818 – 1889)
- August Ferdinand Möbius (Germany, 1790 – 1868)
- Johan Maurits Mohr (Netherlands, 1716 – 1775)
- Samuel Molyneux (UK, 1689 – 1728 astronomer and politician)
- Geminiano Montanari (Italy, 1633 – 1687)
- Patrick Moore (UK, 1923 – )
- William Wilson Morgan (USA, 1906 – 1994)
- Amédée Mouchez (France, 1821 – 1892)
- Antonín Mrkos (Czech Republic, 1918 – 1996)
- Jean Mueller (USA, 1950 – )
- Johannes Müller (Germany, 1436 – 1476)
- Zekeriya Müyesseroğlu (Turkey, 1959 – 2006)
- bin Musa, Ahmad, (Persia, 805 - 873)
- bin Musa, Hasan, (Persia, 810 - 873)
- bin Musa, Muhammad, (Persia, (800 - 873)
- Nils Mustelin (Finland, 1931 – 2004)
[edit] N
- Naburimannu (Babylonia, sometime between 6th century BC and 2nd century BC)
- Ahmad Nahavandi (Persia, 7th-8th century)
- Syuichi Nakano (Japan)
- Jayant Narlikar (India, 1938 – )
- Naubakht (Persia, d. 776)
- Al-fadl ibn Naubakht (Persia, 8th century)
- Otto Neugebauer (Germany, USA, 1899 – 1990)
- Grigoriy Nikolaevich Neujmin (Russia, 1886 – 1946)
- Simon Newcomb (USA, 1835 – 1909)
- Isaac Newton (UK, 1643 – 1727)
- Seth Barnes Nicholson (USA, 1891 – 1963)
- Albertus Antonie Nijland (Netherlands, 1868 – 1936)
- Peter Nilson (Sweden, 1937 – 1998)
- Houei Nojiri (Japan, 1885 – 1977) astronomer and essayist
- Jaime Nomen (Spain)
[edit] O
- Knut Jørgen Røed Ødegaard (Norway,1966 – )
- Tarmo Oja (Sweden)
- Heinrich Wilhelm Matthäus Olbers (Germany, 1758 – 1840)
- Gerard O'Neill (USA,1927 – 1992)
- Jan Hendrik Oort (Netherlands, 1900 – 1992)
- Pieter Oosterhoff (Netherlands, 1904 – 1978)
- Friedrich Wilhelm Opelt (Germany, 1794 – 1863)
- Ernst Öpik (Estonia, Ireland, 1893 – 1985)
- José Luis Ortiz Moreno (Spain)
- Donald Edward Osterbrock, USA, 1924 – 2007)
- Liisi Oterma (Finland, 1915 – 2001)
- Jean Abraham Chrétien Oudemans (Netherlands, 1827 – 1906)
[edit] P
- Rafael Pacheco (Spain)
- Bohdan Paczynski, (Poland, 1940 – 2007)
- Ľudmila Pajdušáková (Slovakia, 1916 – 1979)
- Johann Palisa, (Austria, 1848 – 1925)
- Johann Palitzsch, (Germany, 1723 – 1788)
- Anton Pannekoek (Netherlands, 1873 – 1960)
- Eugene Parker (USA, 1927 – )
- George Parker, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield (UK, c. 1697 – 1764)
- William Parsons, Lord Rosse (Ireland, 1800 – 1867)
- André Patry (France, 1902 – 1960)
- Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (UK, USA, 1900 – 1979)
- James Peebles (Canada, USA, 1935 – )
- Leslie Copus Peltier (USA, 1900 – 1980)
- Roger Penrose (UK, 1931 – )
- Arno Penzias (Germany, 1933 – )
- Saul Perlmutter (USA)
- Charles Dillon Perrine (USA, Argentina, 1867 – 1951)
- Henri Joseph Anastase Perrotin (France, 1845 – 1904)
- Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters (Germany, USA, 1813 – 1890)
- George Henry Peters (USA, 1863 – 1947)
- Esprit Pezenas (France, 1692 – 1776)
- Mark M. Phillips, {USA, 1951)
- Giuseppe Piazzi (Italy, 1746 – 1826)
- Edward Charles Pickering (USA, 1846 – 1919)
- William Henry Pickering (USA, 1858 – 1938)
- Maynard Pittendreigh (USA, 1954 – )
- Phil Plait (USA)
- Giovanni Antonio Amedeo Plana (Italy, 1781 – 1864)
- Petrus Plancius (Netherlands, 1552 – 1622)
- John Stanley Plaskett (Canada, 1865 – 1941)
- Norman Robert Pogson, (UK, 1829 – 1891)
- Christian Pollas, (France)
- John Pond (England, 1767 – 1836)
- Jean-Louis Pons (France, 1761 – 1831)
- Vladimír Porubčan (Slovakia, 1940 – )
- Charles Pritchard (UK, 1808 – 1893)
- Richard Proctor (England, 1837 – 1888)
- Ptolemy of Alexandria (Roman Egypt, circa 85 – 165)
- Pierre Puiseux (France, 1855 – 1928)
- Georg Purbach (Germany, 1423 – 1461)
- Pythagoras of Samos, circa 580 BC – 500 BC)
- Paris Pişmiş (1911 – 1999)
[edit] Q
- Adolphe Quetelet (Belgium, 1796 – 1874)
- Ali Qushji (Ottoman, 1403 – 1474)
- M. Shahid Qureshi (Pakistan)
[edit] R
- Radhagobinda Chandra
- David Lincoln Rabinowitz (USA, 1960 – )
- Grote Reber (USA, 1911 – 2002)
- Martin Rees (UK, 1942 – )
- Regiomontanus (Johannes Müller) (Germany, 1436 – 1476)
- Erasmus Reinhold (Prussia, Germany, 1511 – 1553)
- Karl Reinmuth (Germany, 1892 – 1979)
- Pieter Johannes van Rhijn (Netherlands, 1886 – 1960)
- Giovanni Battista Riccioli (Italy, 1598 – 1671)
- Jean Richer (France, 1630 – 1696)
- Adam Riess (USA)
- Fernand Rigaux (Belgium)
- David Rittenhouse (USA, 1732 – 1796)
- Arjen Roelofs (Netherlands, 1754 – 1824)
- Elizabeth Roemer (USA, 1929 – )
- Ole Christensen Rømer (Denmark, 1644 – 1710)
- Otto A. Rosenberger (Germany, 1800 – 1890)
- Lord Rosse (Ireland, 1800 – 1867)
- Svein Rosseland (Norway, 1894 – 1985)
- Bruno Rossi (Italy, 1905 – 1993)
- Vera Rubin (USA, 1928 – )
- Henry Norris Russell (USA, 1877 – 1957)
- Martin Ryle (UK, 1918 – 1984)
[edit] S
- Sir Edward Sabine (Ireland, 1788 – 1883)
- Carl Edward Sagan (USA, 1934 – 1996)
- Megh Nad Saha (India, 1893 – 1956)
- Edwin Ernest Salpeter (Austria, Australia, USA, 1924 – 2008)
- Allan Rex Sandage (USA, 1926 – )
- Hendricus Gerardus van de Sande Bakhuyzen (Netherlands, 1838 – 1923)
- Wallace Leslie William Sargent (UK, USA, 1935 – m. to Anneila Sargent)
- Anneila Sargent (UK, USA, 1942 – m. to Wallace Leslie William Sargent)
- Alexandre Schaumasse (France, 1882 – 1958)
- Giovanni Virginio Schiaparelli (Italy, 1835 – 1910)
- Frank Schlesinger (USA, 1871 – 1943)
- Bernhard Schmidt (Estonia, Sweden, Germany, 1879 – 1935)
- Brian P. Schmidt (USA)
- Maarten Schmidt (Netherlands, 1929 – )
- Robert Schommer (USA, 1946 – 2001)
- Johann Hieronymus Schröter (Germany, 1745 – 1816)
- Lipót Schulhof (Hungary, 1847 – 1921)
- Heinrich Christian Schumacher (Germany, 1780 – 1850)
- Hans-Emil Schuster (Germany, 1934 – )
- Samuel Heinrich Schwabe (Germany, 1789 – 1875)
- Karl Schwarzschild (Germany, 1873 – 1916)
- Martin Schwarzschild (Germany, USA, 1912 – 1997)
- Friedrich Karl Arnold Schwassmann (Germany, 1870 – 1964)
- Ruby Payne Scott (Australia, 1912 – 1981)
- James Vernon Scotti (USA, 1960 – )
- Frederick Hanley Seares (USA, 1873 – 1964)
- George Mary Searle (USA, 1839 – 1918)
- Angelo Secchi (Italy, 1818 – 1878)
- Waltraut Seitter (Germany, 1930 – 2007)
- Tsutomu Seki (Japan, 1930 – )
- Carl Keenan Seyfert (USA, 1911 – 1960)
- Grigory Abramovich Shajn (Russia, 1892 – 1956)
- Pelageya Fedorovna Shajn (Russia, 1894 – 1956)
- Harlow Shapley (USA, 1885 – 1972)
- Richard Sheepshanks (UK, 1794 – 1855)
- Shen Kuo, China, 1031 – 1035
- Shi Shen (China, fl. 4th century BC)
- Qutb eddin Shirazi (Persia, 1236 – 1311)
- Iosif Samuilovich Shklovsky (Russia, 1916 – 1985)
- Carolyn Jean Spellmann Shoemaker (USA, 1929 – )
- Eugene Merle Shoemaker (USA, 1928 – 1997)
- Willem de Sitter (Netherlands, 1872 – 1934)
- Charlotte Moore Sitterly (USA, 1898 – 1990)
- Brian A. Skiff (USA)
- John Francis Skjellerup (Australia, South Africa, 1875 – 1952)
- Vesto Melvin Slipher (USA, 1875 – 1969)
- Tamara Mikhaylovna Smirnova (Russia, 1918 – )
- George Smoot (USA, 1945 –)
- William Henry Smyth (UK, 1788 – 1865)
- Willebrord Snel van Royen (Snellius) (Netherlands, 1580 – 1626)
- Mary Fairfax Somerville (UK, 1780 – 1872)
- Sir James South (UK, (1785 – 1867)
- Sir Harold Spencer Jones (UK, 1890 – 1960)
- Lyman Spitzer (USA, 1914 – 1997)
- Friederich Wilhelm Gustav Spörer (Germany, 1822 – 1895)
- Rainer Spurzem (Germany, 1956 –)
- Anton Staus (Germany, 1872 – 1955)
- Joel Stebbins, (USA, 1878 – 1966)
- Johan Stein, (Netherlands, 1871 – 1951)
- Karl August von Steinheil, (Germany, 1801 – 1870)
- Édouard Jean-Marie Stephan, (France, 1837 – 1923)
- David J. Stevenson, (New Zealand, 1948 – )
- Edward James Stone, (1831 – 1897)
- F.J.M. Stratton (UK, 1881 – 1960)
- Bengt Georg Daniel Strömgren, (Denmark, 1908 – 1987)
- Friedrich Georg Wilhelm (von) Struve (Germany, Russia, 1793 – 1864)
- Karl Hermann Struve (Russia, Germany, 1854 – 1920)
- Gustav Wilhelm Ludwig Struve (Russia, 1858 – 1920)
- Otto Struve (Russia, USA, 1897 – 1963)
- Otto Wilhelm (von) Struve (Russia, 1819 – 1905)
- Su Song (China, 1020 – 1101)
- Abd Al-Rahman Al Sufi (Persia, 903 – 986)
- Nicholas Suntzeff, (USA, 1952 – )
- Rashid Alievich Sunyaev (Uzbekistan Russia Germany, 1943 – )
- Lewis A. Swift (USA, 1820 – 1913)
- Frédéric Sy (France)
- Gyula M. Szabó (Hungary, 1979 – )
- Samad Rizvi (Pakistan, 1924 – 2009)
[edit] T
- Tim Ellis-Caleo (USA)
- Atsushi Takahashi (Japan)
- Joseph Hooton Taylor Jr. (USA, 1941 – )
- Ernst Wilhelm Leberecht Tempel, (Germany, 1821 – 1889)
- Thabit ibn Qurra (Iraq, 826 – 901)
- Thorvald Nicolai Thiele (Denmark, 1838 – 1910)
- Norman G. Thomas (USA)
- John Thome ((USA, Argentina, 1843 – 1908)
- Kip Stephen Thorne (USA, 1940 – )
- Friedrich Tietjen (Germany, 1834 – 1895)
- Beatrice Muriel Hill Tinsley (USA, 1941 – 1981)
- François Félix Tisserand (France, 1845 – 1896)
- Johann Daniel Titius (Germany, 1729 – 1796)
- Clyde W. Tombaugh (USA, 1906 – 1997)
- Richard Tousey (USA, 1908 – 1997)
- Charles Townes (USA)
- Virginia Trimble (USA)
- Chad Trujillo (USA, 1973 – )
- Robert Julius Trumpler (USA, 1886 – 1956)
- R. Brent Tully (USA)
- Herbert Hall Turner (England, 1861 – 1930)
- Nasir al-Din Tusi (Persia, 1201 – 1274)
- Horace Parnell Tuttle (USA, 1839 – 1923)
- Neil deGrasse Tyson (USA, 1958 – )
- Radmila Topalovic (UK, 1980 – )
[edit] U
- Ulugh Beg (Persia, 1394 – 1449)
- Antonio de Ulloa (Spain), (1716-1795)
- Albrecht Unsöld (Germany, 1905 – 1995)
- Mu’ayyad al-Din al-’Urdi (worked in Maragha observatory, Persia d. 1266}
[edit] V
- Yrjö Väisälä (Finland, 1891 – 1971)
- Benjamin Valz (France, 1787 – 1867)
- James Van Allen (USA, 1914 – 2006)
- George Van Biesbroeck (Belgium, USA, 1880 – 1974)
- Hendrik Christoffel van de Hulst (Netherlands, 1918 – 2000)
- Peter van de Kamp (USA, 1901 – 1995)
- Sidney van den Bergh (Canada, 1929 – )
- Martin van den Hove (Netherlands, 1605 – 1639)
- Hendricus Gerardus van de Sande Bakhuyzen (Netherlands, 1838 – 1923)
- Hendrik van Gent (Netherlands, South Africa, (1900 – March 29, 1947)
- Cornelis Johannes van Houten (Netherlands, 1920 – August 24, 2002)
- Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld (Netherlands)
- Pieter Johannes van Rhijn (Netherlands, 1886 – August 24, 1960)
- Gérard de Vaucouleurs (France, USA, 1918 – 1995)
- Zdeňka Vávrová (Czech Republic or Slovakia)
- Philippe Véron (France, 1939 – )
- Frank Washington Very (USA, 1852 – 1927)
- Yvon Villarceau (France, 1813 – 1883)
- Julie Vinter Hansen (Denmark), 1890 – 1960)
- Hermann Carl Vogel (Germany, 1841 – 1907)
- Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve (Germany, Russia, 1793 – 1864)
- Otto Wilhelm von Struve (Russia, 1819 – 1905)
- Alexander N. Vyssotsky (Russia USA, 1888 – 1973 )
- Emma Vyssotsky (USA, 1894 – 1975)
[edit] W
- Arno Arthur Wachmann (Germany, 1902 – 1990)
- Abul Wáfa (Persia, 940 – 997-8)
- Walcher of Malvern (England, d. 1135)
- George Wallerstein (1930 – )
- William Wales (UK, ca. 1734 - 1798), astronomer on Captain Cook's second voyage to the Pacific and later teacher at Christ's hospital. Possibly an inspiration for Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"
- Qingde Wang (USA, China)
- James Craig Watson (USA, 1838 – 1880)
- Kim Weaver (USA, 1969 – )
- Thomas William Webb (UK, 1807 – 1885)
- Alfred Lothar Wegener (Germany, 1880 – 1930), astronomer, geologist, meteorologist
- Gary A. Wegner (USA, 1944 – )
- Wei Pu (China, fl. 11th century)
- Karl von Weizsäcker (Germany, 1912 – 2007)
- Godefroy Wendelin (Belgium, 1580 – 1667)
- Richard M. West (Denmark, 1941 – )
- J. G. Westphal (Germany)
- Johann Heinrich Westphal (Germany, Italy, 1794 – 1831)
- George Wetherill (1925 – 2006)
- John Archibald Wheeler (USA, 1911 – )
- Fred Lawrence Whipple (USA, 1906 – 2004)
- Albert Whitford (USA, 1905 – 2002)
- Chandra Wickramasinghe (UK, 1939 – )
- Paul Wild (Switzerland)
- Olin C. Wilson (USA, 1909 – 1994)
- Robert Wilson (USA, 1936 – )
- John Winthrop (Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1714 – 1779)
- Friedrich August Theodor Winnecke (Germany, 1835 – 1897)
- Carl Wirtanen (USA, 1910 – 1990)
- Jack Wisdom (USA)
- Gustav Witt (Germany, 1866 – 1946)
- Maximilian Wolf (Germany, 1863 – 1932)
- Aleksander Wolszczan (Poland, 1946 – )
- Richard van der Riet Woolley (UK, 1906 – 1986)
- Thomas Wright (UK, 1711 – 1786)
[edit] Y
- Issei Yamamoto (Japan, 1889 – 1959)
- Yi Xing (China, 683 – 727)
- Charles Augustus Young (USA, 1834 – 1908)
- James Whitney Young (USA, 1941 – )
[edit] Z
- Franz Xaver von Zach (Germany, 1753 – 1832)
- Abraham Zacuto (Spain/Portugal, 1450 – 1510)
- Yakov Borisovich Zel'dovich (USSR, 1914 – 1987)
- Zhang Daqing (China, 1969 – )
- Zhang Heng (China, 78 – 139)
- Zhang Yuzhe (China, 1902 – 1986)
- Lyudmila Vasil'evna Zhuravleva (Russia/Ukraine, ? – )
- Zu Chongzhi, (425 – 500)
- Fritz Zwicky (Switzerland, USA, 1898 – 1974)
[edit] Others
[edit] Other scientists whose work had an impact on astronomy and astrophysics
- Hans Bethe (physicist) (1906 – 2005)
- Niels Bohr (physicist) (1885 – 1962)
- Freeman Dyson (physicist) (1923 – )
- Albert Einstein (physicist) (1879 – 1955)
- James Clerk Maxwell (physicist) (United Kingdom, 1831 – 1879)
- Thomas Young (physicist) (United Kingdom, 1773 – 1829)
[edit] Instrument makers, illustrators, etc.
- John Bird (1709 – 1776)
- Chesley Bonestell (1888 – 1986)
- Andreas Cellarius (cartographer) (Netherlands, Germany, 1596 – 1665)
- Thomas Cooke (1807 – 1868)
- Alvan Clark (1804 – 1887)
- John Dollond (1706 – 1761)
- Henry Fitz (1808 – 1863) [1]
- James Gregory (1638 – 1675)
- Hans Lippershey (1570 - 1619)
- Jesse Ramsden (1735 – 1800)
- George Willis Ritchey (1864 – 1945)
- James Short (1710 – 1768)
- William Simms (1793 – 1860)
- William Simms (1817 – 1907)
- Edward Troughton (1756 – 1835)