2012 Event An amateur astronomer in Peterborough, England, discovers a new, Neptune-sized exoplanet 2010 Event In Prague, scientists exhume the remains of 16th century astronomer Tycho Brahe, in an effort to solve the mystery of his sudden death 2001 Death Sir Fred Hoyle, "astronomer, science fiction writer", ", coined the term ""big bang"", ", dies at 86 1997 Death Eugene Shoemaker, astronomer, co-discoverer of the Shoemaker-Levy comet that had a spectacular collision with Jupiter in 1994, dies at 69 1997 Death Clyde Tombaugh, astronomer, discovered Pluto in 1930, dies at 90 1992 Death Jan Hendrik Oort, Dutch astronomer (Oort Cloud), dies at 92 1992 Death Hans Rosenberg, astronomer/alderman of Utrecht, dies 1992 Death Franc Holden, British astronomer (Binary Stars), dies 1974 Death Fritz Zwicky, Swiss/US astronomer (supernova), dies at 75 1973 Death Charles G Abbot, U.S. astronomer (Sun Constant), dies at 101 1973 Death Ira S. Bowen, U.S. physicist and astronomer (Mount Wilson/Palomar), dies at 74 1972 Death Harlow Shapley, astronomer (Sun's position in galaxy), dies at 86 1970 Death Lucien H d'Azambuja, French astronomer (chromosphere of Sun), dies at 86 1967 Death Andre L Danjon, French astronomer, dies at 77 1964 Death Erwin F Finlay-Freundlich, British astronomer, dies 1963 Death Mervyn A Ellison, British astronomer (spectrohelioscope), dies at 63 1960 Death WH Walter Baade, German/US astronomer (Andromeda), dies at 67 1960 Death Anton Pancake, astronomer/marxist theorist, dies at 87 1960 Death Anton Pannekoek, Dutch astronomer/marxist theorist, dies at 87 1957 Death John Von Neumann, astronomer, dies at 53 1956 Death Walter S Adams, U.S. astronomer/director of Mount Wilson, dies at 79 1953 Death Edwin P Hubble, astronomer, designer of telescopes, dies at 63 1952 Death Bernard F Lyot, French astronomer (chronograph, Lyot-filter), dies at 55 1951 Death Robert G Aitken, U.S. astronomer (New General Catalogue), dies at 86 1948 Birthday Eleanor Margaret Burbridge, astronomer and educator 1947 Death Paul Guthnick, German astronomer, dies at 76 1946 Death James Jeans, English physicist/mathematician/astronomer, dies at 69 1943 Birthday Jocelyn Burnell, astronomer 1941 Death John S Plaskett, Canadian astronomer (Plaskett's twins), dies 1941 Death AH Borgesius, tutor/experimentator/amateur astronomer, dies at 76 1941 Birthday Malcolm Longair, born in Dundee Scotland, astronomer, physicist, chairman of the Gemini Board, President, Royal Astronomical Society 1941 Death Annie Jump Cannon, U.S. astronomer (Henry Draper catalogues), dies at 77 1939 Birthday Nalin Chandra Wickramasinghe, Indian astronomer 1938 Death William W. Campbell, U.S. astronomer (Stellar Motions), dies at 76 1938 Death George Ellery Hale, astronomer, dies 1938 Death William H Pickering, astronomer (predicted Pluto), dies at 79 1936 Death William FA Ellison, Irish clergyman/astronomer, dies at 72 1935 Birthday Donald Lynden-Bell, British astronomer 1934 Birthday Carl Sagan, Brooklyn, astronomer/author/professor, Cosmos, Broca's Brain 1930 Event U.S. astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovers Pluto 1929 Birthday Maarten Schmidt, Netherlands/U.S. astronomer, quasars 1926 Death Johan LE Dreyer, Danish astronomer (Catalog of Nebulae), dies at 74 1925 Birthday Camille Flammarion, French astronomer/writer, Thunder and Lightning 1924 Birthday Antony Hewish, radio astronomer 1923 Birthday Francis Graham-Smith, British astronomer 1923 Birthday Patrick Moore, born in England, astronomer and writer, A-Z of Astronomy 1923 Death Edward E Barnard, U.S. astronomer (5th moon Jupiter), dies at 65 1922 Death Johannes C Kapteyn, Dutch astronomer, dies at 71 1922 Death John C Kapteyn, astronomer, dies at 71 1921 Birthday Cornelis de Jager, Dutch astronomer, Sun 1921 Death Sherburne W. Burnham, U.S. astronomer (binary stars), dies at 83 1920 Birthday Thomas Gold, astronomer, proposed steady-state theory of universe 1918 Birthday Martin Ryle, Britain, radio astronomer/astronomer royal, 1972-82 1916 Death Karl Schwarzschild, German astronomer (s-effect), dies 1914 Death George W. Hill, U.S. astronomer (moon orbit), dies at 76 1913 Death Robert S Ball, Irish mathematician/astronomer (Ball Screw), dies 1912 Birthday Martin Schwarzschild, U.S. astronomer, evolution 1912 Birthday Madge Adam, astronomer 1911 Birthday Grote Reber, U.S., astronomer, 1st parabolic radio telescope 1910 Death Johann O Backlund, Swedish astronomer, dies at 64 1910 Death Giovanni V Schiaparelli, Italian astronomer (Mars), dies at 75 1908 Birthday Viktor A Ambartsoemjan, Russian astronomer, Stalin Prize 1946, 1950 1906 Death John A. C. Oudemans, Dutch geographer/astronomer, dies at 78 1906 Birthday Thomas G. Cowling, British mathematician/astronomer 1906 Birthday Bartholomeus J "Bart" Bok, Dutch/U.S. astronomer, Milky Way 1906 Birthday Pavel P Parenago, Russian astronomer 1906 Birthday Clyde William Tombaugh, U.S., astronomer, discovered Pluto 1905 Birthday Gerard Kuiper, Dutch/U.S. astronomer, moons of Uranus, Neptune 1904 Birthday Clabon W. Allen, Australian/British astronomer 1903 Birthday John von Neumann, mathematician and astronomer, Bocher Award 1938 1903 Birthday Bernard Lovell, England, radio astronomer, founded Jodrell Bank 1900 Death James E Keeler, U.S. astronomer (rings of Saturn), dies at 42 1900 Birthday Mervyn A. Ellison, British astronomer, spectrohelioscope 1900 Birthday Jan Hendrik Oort, Dutch astronomer, hypothesized "Oort Cloud" 1898 Birthday Ira S. Bowen, U.S. physicist and astronomer, Mount Wilson/Palomar 1898 Birthday Fritz Zwicky, Swiss astronomer, super nova 1897 Birthday Bernard F. Lyot, French astronomer, Lyot filter 1895 Birthday Bertil Lindblad, Swedish astronomer, Milky Way system 1893 Birthday Earnest Julius pik, Estonian astronomer, Physics of meteor flight 1893 Birthday W H Walter Baade, German/US astronomer, Andromeda 1893 Birthday Marcel G. J. Minnaert, Dutch astronomer 1892 Death George B Airy, English astronomer/writer, dies at 90 1890 Birthday Andre L. Danjon, French astronomer 1889 Birthday Edwin Hubble, astronomer, discoverer of galaxies, red shift 1889 Death Maria Mitchell, 1st U.S. woman astronomer (Vassar), dies at 70 1889 Death Warren De La Rue, astronomer/chemist, dies 1888 Birthday Aleksandr Mikhailov, born in U.S.S.R., astronomer 1885 Birthday Harlow Shapley, U.S., astronomer, studied the galaxies 1885 Birthday Erwin F Finlay-Freundlich, British astronomer, theory of relativity 1884 Birthday Lucien H d'Azambuja, France, astronomer, chromosome of sun 1882 Birthday Giorgio Abetti, Italian astronomer, Solar physics 1882 Death Johann CF Zollner, German astronomer (astro photography), dies 1880 Death Benjamin Pierce, U.S. mathematician/astronomer, dies 1880 Death William Lassell, English astronomer (1st moon of Neptune), dies 1879 Birthday Milutin Milankovic, Yugoslavian astronomer/meteorologist 1877 Birthday Henry Norris Russell, astronomer, Hertzsprung-Russell diagram 1877 Birthday James Jeans, England, physicist/mathematician/astronomer 1876 Birthday Walter S. Adams, U.S. astronomer and director of Mount Wilson, 1923 - 1946 1874 Death Anders J engstrom, Swedish astronomer/physicist (e-unit), dies at 59 1874 Death [Lambert] Adolphe J Quetelet, Belgian astronomer/sociologist, dies at 77 1873 Birthday Karl Schwarzschild, German astronomer, Schwarzschild effect 1873 Birthday Ejnar Hertzsprung, Denmark, astronomer, Hertzsprung-Russell diagram 1873 Birthday Anton Pannekoek, Dutch astronomer/marxist theorist, Communist Tactics 1872 Death Jacques Babinet, French physicist/mathematician/astronomer, dies at 78 1872 Death Friedrich Kaiser, astronomer (Kaiser-Compass), dies 1872 Birthday Charles G Abbot, U.S., astronomer, Constant Sun 1871 Death John F. W. Herschel, British astronomer (Catalogue of Nebulae), dies 1871 Birthday Paul Guthnick, German astronomer 1866 Birthday Antonia Caetana de Paiva Pereira Maury, astronomer 1865 Birthday John S Plaskett, Canadian astronomer, Plaskett's twins 1865 Death Johann F Encke, German astronomer (Comet Encke), dies at 73 1864 Birthday Robert G Aitken, U.S. astronomer, Binary Stars 1864 Birthday A H Borgesius, Dutch amateur astronomer 1863 Death Giovanni B Amia, Italian astronomer/physicist/botanist, dies at 77 1862 Death Ormsby Mcknight Mitchel, U.S. astronomer/Union-general-major, dies at 53 1862 Birthday William W. Campbell, U.S. astronomer and director Lick Observatory 1862 Death Jean-Baptiste Biot, French physicist/astronomer, dies at 87 1861 Birthday Robert T A Innes, Edinburgh Scotland, astronomer, Proxima Centauri 1858 Birthday William Pickering, Boston, astronomer, 9th and 10th moons of Saturn 1857 Birthday Edward Emerson Barnard, born in Tennessee, astronomer, Jupiter's 5th satellite 1857 Birthday James E Keeler, U.S., astronomer, rings of Saturn 1856 Birthday Friedrich Kustner, German astronomer 1855 Birthday Percival "Percy" Lowell, U.S. astronomer, predicted discovery of Pluto 1854 Birthday Henri Poincare, France, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher 1853 Death D Francois J Arago, French astronomer/physicist (chromosome), dies 1852 Birthday Johan L. E. Dreyer, Danish astronomer, New general catalogue of nebulae 1851 Birthday Johannes C. Kapteyn, Dutch astronomer 1850 Death Wilhelm Bear, German banker/astronomer (Moon Map), dies at 53 1847 Event German astronomer Theodor discovers Comet Brorsen-Metcalf 1846 Birthday Johann E. Backlund, Swedish astronomer, planets/asteroids 1846 Death Friedrich W. Bessel, German astronomer (Bessel Functions), dies at 61 1844 Death Francis Baily, English astronomer/mathematician (Baily's Beads), dies 1840 Birthday Robert S. Ball, Irish mathematician and astronomer 1840 Death Heinrich Olbers, German astronomer (comets and asteroids), dies at 81 1838 Birthday Sherburne W. Burnham, U.S., astronomer, binary stars 1838 Death Nathaniel Bowditch, astronomer/navigation expert, dies at 64 1838 Birthday George W. Hill, U.S. astronomer, Moon orbit 1835 Event George B Airy begins 46-year reign as England's Astronomer Royal 1835 Birthday Simon Newcomb, U.S., scientist, mathematician and astronomer 1835 Birthday Giovanni Schiaparelli, born in Italy, astronomer, discovered canals of Mars 1827 Birthday John A. C. Oudemans, Dutch geographer and astronomer 1822 Death F William Herschel, German astronomer (discovered Uranus), dies at 85 1822 Death Frederick "William" Herschel, German/British astronomer, dies at 83 1819 Birthday John Couch Adams, English astronomer, co-discover Neptune 1818 Birthday Maria Mitchell, 1st U.S. woman astronomer on Nantucket Island 1812 Birthday Johann G Galle, German astronomer, discovered Neptune. 1811 Death Nevil Maskelyne, 5th Astronomer Royal of England (1765-1811), dies 1809 Birthday Ormsby McKnight Mitchel, astronomer/Major General Union volunteers 1809 Birthday Benjamin Pierce, U.S. mathematician and astronomer 1808 Birthday Friedrich Kaiser, Dutch astronomer, Kaiser compass-card 1807 Death Joseph Jerome Le Francais de Lalande, French astronomer, dies 1806 Death Benjamin Banneker, astronomer/mathematician, dies at 74 1801 Birthday George Biddle Airy, 7th Astronomer Royal 1801 Event French astronomer Jean-Louis Pons discovers his 1st comet 1797 Birthday Wilhelm Beer, Germany, amateur astronomer, constructed 1st Moon map 1796 Birthday [Lambert] Adolphe J. Quetelet, Belgian astronomer/meteorology 1796 Birthday Adolphe Quetelet, born in Belgium, mathematician, astronomer, and statistician 1794 Birthday Jacques Babinet, French physicist, mathematician and astronomer 1792 Birthday John Herschel, born in Slough, England, William Herschel's son, astronomer 1791 Birthday Johann F Encke, German astronomer, Encke Comet 1789 Birthday William Cranch Bond, U.S., astronomer, codiscovered Hyperion 1787 Death Ruggiero Boscovich, Italian physicist/astronomer/philosopher, dies at 75 1786 Death John Goodricke, English deaf and dumb astronomer, dies at 21 1786 Birthday Giovanni B Amia, Italian astronomer/physicist/botanist 1786 Birthday D. Francois J. Arago, French astronomer, physicist, and politician 1784 Death Cesar F Cassini "the Thury", French astronomer (geodesic labor), dies 1784 Birthday Friedrich W. Bessel, German astronomer, star parallax, Bessel Function 1783 Death Willem Bachiene, vicar/theologist/geography/astronomer, dies at 70 1774 Birthday Jean-Baptiste Biot, French physicist, astronomer, and balloonist 1773 Death Cornelis Douwes, Dutch mathematician/astronomer, dies at 60 1773 Birthday Nathaniel Bowditch, mathematician, astronomer and author, Marine Sextant 1768 Death Johan Lulofs, Dutch physicist/philosopher/astronomer, dies at 57 1764 Birthday John Goodricke, English astronomer/member Royal Society 1764 Death Peder [Nielsen] Horrebow, Danish astronomer, dies at 84 1764 Death George Parker, English astronomer, dies 1762 Death James Bradley, 3rd Astronomer Royal, dies 1759 Death Pierre-Louis Moreau de Maupertuis, biologist/astronomer, dies at 60 1756 Death Jacques Cassini, French astronomer (Discover rings of Saturn), dies at 79 1750 Birthday Caroline Lucretia Herchel, Hanover, Germany, 1st mod woman astronomer 1750 Birthday Caroline Herschel, astronomer/discoverer 1748 Birthday Jacques D "comte" Cassini, French astronomer 1744 Death Anders Celsius, Swed astronomer (Centegrade Thermometer), dies at 42 1741 Event Astronomer Anders Celcius introduces Centigrade temperature scale 1738 Birthday F William Herschel, German/English astronomer, discovered Uranus 1730 Birthday Charles Joseph Messier, astronomer, cataloguer of "M objects" 1727 Death Issac Newton, English physicist/astronomer, dies in London at 84 1723 Death Christopher Wren, England, astronomer/architect, dies at 90 1720 Event Edmund Halley appointed 2nd Astronomer Royal of England 1719 Death John Flamsteed, 1st Astronomer Royal, dies at 73 1714 Birthday Cesar F Cassini, de Thury, French astronomer, geodesic labor 1713 Birthday Nicolas Louis de Lacaille, astronomer who mapped the So Hemisphere 1712 Birthday Willem Bachiene, theologist/geographer/astronomer, Ecclesiastical 1712 Death Jean [Giovanni] D Cassini, Italian/French astronomer, dies 1712 Death Giovanni D Cassini, French astronomer, dies 1712 Birthday Cornelis Douwes, Dutch mathematician and astronomer 1711 Birthday Johan Lulofs, Dutch physicist, philosopher, and astronomer 1711 Birthday Ruggiero G Boscovich, Rudzer J Boskovic, Italian astronomer 1710 Birthday James Ferguson, astronomer 1698 Birthday Pierre-Louis Moreau de Maupertuis, born in France, mathematician and astronomer 1695 Death Christiaen Huygens, inventor/astronomer, dies at 66 1695 Death Christian Huygens, inventor/astronomer (ring of Saturn), dies at 66 1687 Death Johannes Hevelius, astronomer (star cataloger), dies on 76th birthday 1682 Event English astronomer Edmund Halley sees his namesake comet 1679 Birthday Peder Horrebow, Danish astronomer 1677 Birthday Jacques Cassini, French astronomer, rings of Saturn 1675 Event John Flamsteed appointed 1st Astronomer Royal of England 1666 Death Johann A Schall von Bell, German missionary/astronomer, dies 1656 Birthday Edmund Halley, English astronomer, comet of Halley 1655 Birthday Jan Luyts, Netherlands, scholar/physicist/mathematician/astronomer 1650 Death Christoph Scheiner, German astronomer, dies at 74 1646 Birthday John Flamsteed, 1st astronomer royal of England 1642 Birthday Isaac Newton, born in Grantham, England, physicist, mathematician, and astronomer 1642 Death Galileo Galilei, Italian physicist/astronomer, dies at 77 in Italy 1638 Birthday Niels Stensen, Danish astronomer 1633 Event Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei arrived in Rome for trial before Inquisition for professing belief that earth revolves around the Sun 1632 Birthday Jan Vermeer, Holland, painter, Procuress, Astronomer 1632 Birthday Christopher Wren, England, astronomer/great architect 1630 Death Johann Kepler, German astronomer, dies at 58 1629 Birthday Christian Huygens, Holland, astronomer, discovered Saturn's rings 1626 Death Willebrord Snellius, astronomer/mathematician, dies at about 46 1624 Death Simon Marius, astronomer, dies in Bavaria at 54 1620 Birthday Jean Picard, French astronomer 1617 Death David Fabricius, German astronomer, dies at 53 1611 Birthday Johannes Hevelius, Danzig, astronomer, star cataloger 1610 Event German astronomer Simon Marius 1st discovers the Jupiter moons, but does not officially report it, Galileo does on July 1 1610 1608 Birthday Giovanni Alfonso Borelli, Naples, mathematician/astronomer 1601 Death Tycho Brahe, astronomer, dies in Prague at 54 1596 Death Pieter D Keyzer/Keyser, astronomer/navigator (Java) 1595 Death Thomas Digges, English astronomer (Universe Infinite), dies 1592 Birthday Johann A Schall von Bell, German missionaries/astronomer 1587 Birthday Johannes Fabricius, Denmark, astronomer, discovered sunspots 1578 Death Pedro Nunes, Nonius, Port mathematician/astronomer (nonius), dies 1575 Birthday Christoph Scheiner, Germany, astronomer 1571 Birthday Johann Kepler, born in Wurttemberg, Germany, astronomer, elliptical orbits 1564 Birthday David Fabricius, Essens Germany, astronomer, discoved variable star 1564 Birthday Galileo Galilei, born in Pisa, Italy, astronomer and physicist 1555 Death Gemma Frisius, Frisian geographer/astronomer, dies at 46 1552 Death Peter Apianus, Bennewitz/Bienewitz, German astronomer, dies at 50 1546 Birthday Tycho Brahe, Knudstrup Denmark, astronomer, Golden nose 1543 Death Nicolas Copernicus, astronomer, dies in Poland 1542 Death Albert Pigge, Pighius, Dutch theologist/astronomer, dies at about 52 1514 Birthday Rhaticus, Rheticus, Austrian astronomer/mathematician 1508 Birthday Gemma Frisius, Jemme Reinersz, Frisian geographer and astronomer 1473 Birthday Nicolaus Copernicus, Torun, Poland, astronomer, heliocentrism 1449 Death Ulugh Beg, a U.S.S.R. astronomer, dies at 56 1131 Death Omar Khayyam, poet, mathematician, physicist, astronomer, wrote, Treatise on Demonstration of Problems of Algebra, dies 1048 Birthday Omar Khayyam, born in Nayshapur, Iran, poet, mathematician, physicist, astronomer, wrote, Treatise on Demonstration of Problems of Algebra 883 Death Albumasar, Ahmad Aboe M Gafar al-Balkhi, Arabic astronomer, dies 33 Death Christ, crucified (according to astronomer Humphreys and Waddington) 30 Death Christ, crucified, according to astronomer Schaefer, dies
