In the name of Science

Hello, friends of all ages! Today, let's embark on an amazing journey through the universe as we explore the life and works of a very special scientist, Lawrence Hugh Aller. You may be wondering, "Who is Lawrence Aller?" Well, buckle up! By the end of our journey, you'll know all about this brilliant star-gazer and his significant contributions to the world of astronomy. 1. Who Was Lawrence Hugh Aller? Lawrence Hugh Aller was a star - not the kind you see on television, but the kind that studies the stars in the sky! He was an astronomer, which means he spent his life trying to understand the secrets of the universe. Born on September 24, 1913, in Tacoma, Washington, USA, he was passionate about the stars and the sky from a very early age. 2. Educational Journey: Lawrence's journey towards becoming a star-gazer started with his education. He attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1936 and his Ph.D. in 1943. Th...

Name: John Goodricke   Birthdate: 17 Sep 1764 Birthplace:  Groningen,Netherlands     Today is the anniversary of the birth, in Groningen, the Netherlands on 17 Sep 1764, of the astronomer John Goodricke. The Goodricke family moved to England shortly afterwards, John having lost his hearing through a fever when still an infant, and becoming dumb as a consequence.  However, he overcame these difficulties, developing an interest in astronomy and becoming a highly proficient observer and pioneering investigator of variable stars. John had a particular fascination for the eclipsing binary Algol (Beta Persei), a star often referred to as the Demon Star. This strange appellation arises from the fact that Algol represents the severed head of Medusa the Gorgon, slain by the legendary Perseus and often represented as such on old star charts. Introduced to the star by his neighbour and fellow-astronomer Edward Pigott, Goodricke calculated Algol’s period of irr...

 Name: Albert Francis Arthur Lofley Jones Birthdate: 9 Aug 1920 Birthplace: Christchurch, New Zealand   Today is the anniversary of the birth of amateur astronomer Albert Francis Arthur Lofley Jones. His achievements include the discovery (on 6 Aug 1946 while observing the variable star U Puppis) of comet C/1946 P1 (Jones) and the co-discovery on 18 Nov 2000 (with astronomer Syogo Utsunomiya of Kumamoto, Japan) of the long-period comet C/2000 W1 (Utsunomiya-Jones) (pictured here on 18 Jan 2001).  He was also the co-discoverer of supernova SN 1987A (seen here as the bright star to right of centre of image) in the Large Magellanic Cloud. However, Albert Francis Arthur Lofley Jones is perhaps best remembered for his remarkable skills as a variable star observer.  He was also the co-discoverer of supernova SN 1987A (seen here as the bright star to right of centre of image) in the Large Magellanic Cloud. However, Albert Francis Arthur Lofley Jones is perhap...

  Today is the anniversary of the birth, at Houston, Texas on 10 Jan 1936, of the American radio astronomer Robert Woodro w Wilson.    A graduate of the California Institute of Technology, he is best remembered for being the co-discoverer in 1964, along with the German-born American physicist and radio astronomer Arno Allan Penzias, of the cosmic microwave background radiation, which helped to establish the Big Bang theory of the origin of the Universe. In recognition of the discovery, Wilson and Penzias were presented with the Henry Draper Medal (awarded by the United States National Academy of Sciences) in 1977 and the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1978.   Image From google images  Credit: societyforthehistoryofastronomy.com

Today is the anniversary of the discovery, on 5 Jan 2005 by astronomers Michael E. Brown, Chadwick A. Trujillo and David L. Rabinowitz, of the dwarf planet Eris , a trans-Neptunian object with a diameter of around 2,325 kilometres (1,445 miles) and which orbits the Sun once every 557 years. Eris lies at an average distance from the Sun equal to around 1.72 times that of Pluto and has one known moon, Dysnomia, seen here just to the left of Eris on an image taken with the Hubble Space Telescope in 2007. Eris is notable in that it has been found to have a mass greater than Pluto, eventually leading to Pluto's demotion from planet status in August 2006, when the International Astronomical Union (IAU) downgraded Pluto to a ‘dwarf planet’.  

  Considered as the Father of the Indian Space Program , Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai was born on August 12, 1919 to Ambalal Sarabhai and Sarala Sarabhai. After matriculating from the Gujarat College, he cleared the Intermediate Science Examination and moved to London.     He joined St. John’s College, University of Cambridge. Due to the problems of Second World War, he returned to India and joined the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. This innovator got married to the famous dancer of that time, Mrinalini Sarabhai in 1942. The whole family of Vikram Sarabhai was involved in freedom struggle and he himself was greatly influenced by Mahatma Gandhi. Vikram Sarabhai again went abroad and after getting the doctorate degree for his thesis ‘Cosmic Ray Investigation in Tropical Latitudes’, Sarabhai returned to India in 1947. After returning to an independent India, he felt the need of science and technology for the development of the nation. He wholeheartedly plu...

  Today is the anniversary of the birth, at Weil der Stadt in south-west Germany on 27 Dec 1571, of the astronomer and mathematician Johannes Kepler.  He is probably best remembered today for his three fundamental laws of planetary motion, which can be said to have established our modern view of the Solar System and paved the way for Isaac Newton. The 32 km diameter lunar crater Kepler, located between Oceanus Procellarum to the west and Mare Insularum to the east, is named in his honour.  Credit: societyforthehistoryofastronomy.com

  Today is the anniversary of the birth, at Woolsthorpe, near Grantham, Lincolnshire on 25 Dec 1642, of the English physicist, mathematician and astronomer Sir Isaac Newton .     Although his achievements were many, he is probably best remembered for his ‘Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica’ (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy). Often referred to as ‘The Principia’ and widely considered as being one of the most important works in the history of science, its contents i ncluded details of Newton's laws of motion (which went on to form the basis of classical mechanics) together with his famous law of universal gravitation. The 79 km diameter lunar crater Newton, located in the south polar region close to the southern limb of the Moon, and seen here with the satellite crater Newton D overlying its north-northeastern rim, is named in his honour.  Credit: societyforthehistoryofastronomy.com

  Today is the anniversary of the birth, at Knudstrup on 14 Dec 1546, of the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe. Full name Tyge Ottensen Brahe, he was an eminent astronomer who played a vital role in the development of astronomical instruments and is perhaps best known for his precise and thorough astronomical and planetary observations, which were to influence future discoveries. The 85 km diameter crater Tycho, located in the lunar southern highlands, is named in his honour   Credit: societyforthehistoryofastronomy.com

  Today is the anniversary of the death, in Hamburg on 1 Dec 1935, of the German optician Bernhard Woldemar Schmidt. He is famous for inventing, in 1930, the telescope type that now bears his name and which allows astronomers to obtain sharp wide-field images of the sky with a single exposure. . The most famous example of the Schmidt telescope design is the 48-inch Samuel Oschin Telescope at Palomar Observatory (pictured), which was completed in 1948. Taking its first official im age in September of that year, data from this instrument contributed towards the initial guide star catalogue for the Hubble Space Telescope The 11 km diameter lunar crater Schmidt, located near the south western shore of Mare Tranquillitatis and seen here at lower left of image with the nearby craters Ritter (upper left of centre) and Sabine (right of centre), is named in his honour and in honour of the German astronomer and geophysicist Johann Friedrich Julius Schmidt and the Soviet scientist,...