History and Famous Astronomers

Articles about the history of astronomy and famous astronomers who made important discoveries.

The Man of Mars – Percival Lowell and the Invention of the Red Planet

March 26, 2018 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: History and Famous Astronomers

More than most planets, Mars has captured the public imagination as a place of mystery, a target of exploration, and possibly the only other place in the solar system that may have once harbored life. The planet figured prominently in science fiction, from the early tales of E.R. Burroughs and H.G. Wells to the latest work of Andy Weir. And Mars is now on the radar of hands-on visionaries like Elon Musk who plan to colonize the planet in the coming decades. The popular fascination with Mars began more than a century ago in the fertile imagination of Percival Lowell, a wealthy and intellectually restless astronomer who speculated about intelligent life on Mars and left a lasting legacy for astronomy. [Read more…] about The Man of Mars – Percival Lowell and the Invention of the Red Planet

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Chesley Bonestell: Artist, Architect, Visionary

March 25, 2017 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: History and Famous Astronomers

A painting by Chesley Bonestell for NASA showing Werhner von Braun's concept for a space station. — A painting by Chesley Bonestell for NASA showing Wernher von Braun’s concept for an Earth-orbting space station. Image credit: NASA.

The artist and architect Chesley Bonestell painted scenes of space exploration that inspired an entire generation of astronomers, artists, writers, engineers and visionaries. If you’re over a certain age, you have doubtless seen his work, and if you’re a dedicated stargazer and space enthusiast, you were likely inspired by his vision of space travel. But Bonestell was more than a starry-eyed dreamer. He was an architectural artist, and he also helped the great rocket engineer Wernher von Braun develop his ideas by fleshing out von Braun’s sketches of moon rockets, satellites, and interplanetary spacecraft [Read more…] about Chesley Bonestell: Artist, Architect, Visionary

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Johannes Kepler: Mathematician, Mystic… Murderer?

May 5, 2016 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: History and Famous Astronomers

The progress of science sometimes comes down to an unlikely partnership, a combination of the right people studying the right problem at the right time. In the pantheon of unlikely partners, few can top the team of Johannes Kepler and Tycho Brahe, two men of polar-opposite personalities who finally cracked the secret of the motion of the planets. Here is their story [Read more…] about Johannes Kepler: Mathematician, Mystic… Murderer?

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President Lincoln Goes To The Observatory

December 30, 2015 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: History and Famous Astronomers

Many urban stargazers enjoy chance meetings with curious passersby who take an interest in looking through a telescope. But none of us will likely receive the caliber of visitor who twice knocked on the observatory door of a lone astronomer in Washington, D.C. on a warm August night in 1863 [Read more…] about President Lincoln Goes To The Observatory

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