If you could meet one historical astronomer, who would it be?

[Adam Isa]

I can't believe Carl Sagan has only just got a mention.

[Lowstar]

Kelly Ann Parsons would be the one i would most like to spend an evening with. Her work has got her onto the front pages of many, many magazines and i`m sure spending an evening under the stars in her company would be unforgetable.

Kelly Ann Parsons aka Kelly Brook

[Si W]

It would have to be Gene Shoemaker, the man is a legend, his theories on impacts craters, and also the discoveries he made. Not only that, even as he was being ridiculed in the early day's, he stood his ground and won the day.

That's commitment.

[sbooder]

Why Carl Sagen should be mentioned before anyone else I don't know, the power of the modern media I suppose.

[NickH]

The power of his work on Viking, Mariner, Venus I thought...but hell what would I know... :-)

[sbooder]

Sorry about that, my last reply seemed on rereading a little aggressive, it was not meant to be.

I think Carl Sagen was overlooked for a simple reason. We have met Carl Sagen, all be it in a rather one sided way.

But astronomers like Tycho Brahe, Joseph Keppler, Isaac Newton and others of a much earlier period of Astronomical history did not have the modern luxury of Television, Radio and the Internet.

Come to think of it I have not noticed Newton yet either?

[badgerchap]

Who on earth is Joseph Keppler? Any relation to Johannes Kepler? Only kidding lol tongue in cheek.....

Yes, I noticed that about Newton too. I suppose it's because, although he was very important to astronomy, it wasn't really his primary concern. Knowing Newton, he probably invented his telescope and then left it in a drawer for a few years lol.

[toml42]

Christiaan Huygens, I think he would be delighted to hear about the probe bearing his name that landed on Titan, the moon he discovered.

[andyr]

For me it has to be Johannes Kepler, Edmund Halley, and the late Thomas M Back (just to throw a modern day one in the mix).

[sbooder]

Who on earth is Joseph Keppler? Any relation to Johannes Kepler? Only kidding lol tongue in cheek....

I did not even notice, I had got Johannes Kepler wrong, I could not remember his first name so I googled it, spelling Kepler wrong and got Joseph back without checking.

I could bluff it and say I really did mean Joseph Keppler, you know that world renowned cartoonist, who was less known for his fine Astronomical work, but I am not sure you would have bought that!

Apparently my Mother has asked me why I did not say Angelo Secchi, as he is meant to be a relative of mine on my Mother’s side. A cousin of my great great grandmother ( biz biz Nonna ) I believe.

So for you mother, I would love to go back and have chat with Angelo Secchi.

[badgerchap]

What did Secchi do? I have come across the name somewhere, but I'm d**ned if I can remember where. Y'know what, I suppose that's what google is for! Back in a tick....

[badgerchap]

"His main area of interest was astronomical spectroscopy. He invented the heliospectrograph, star spectrograph, and telespectroscope. He showed that certain absorption lines in the spectrum of the Sun were caused by absorption in the Earth's atmosphere. Starting in 1863, he began collecting the spectra of stars, accumulating some 4,000 stellar spectrograms. Through analysis of this data, he discovered that the stars come in a limited number of distinct types and subtypes, which could be distinguished by their different spectral patterns. From this concept, he developed the first system of stellar classification: the five Secchi classes. While his system was superseded by the Harvard system, he still stands as discoverer of the principle of stellar classification, which is a fundamental element of astrophysics." (From Wikipedia)

OK so it looks like the guy was actually pretty important. We'd be a good century behind if it wasn't for some of this stuff. Just think - with no stellar classification, we'd have no use for Cepheid Variables and we'd still think M31 was part of the Milky Way. So, I have to agree with your Mum, Simon: Angelo Secchi was pretty cool....

[Earl]

Multiple personality is a neurosis, and different from Schizophrenia. Newton was just nuts. Cranky, too.

Newton was out there...

Newton was also highly religious, though an unorthodox Christian, writing more on Biblical hermeneutics and occult studies than the natural science for which he is remembered today.

[Earl]

I would like to meet the Egyptian who pretty accurately measured the circumference of the earth and of course proving it was in fact a Globe not flat.

Very smart bloke.

[Astro_Baby]

Percival Lowell but only if I could take an optician with me to prove/disprove something about canals on Mars