The astronomer studies the phenomena of the heavens and has been important in scientific advancements. Famous astronomers include Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, and Halley. Astronomy remains a romantic figure, and amateurs can now make discoveries with improved technology.
An astronomer is a person who studies, classifies and describes the phenomena of the heavens. The astronomer has been one of the most important roles in the modern scientific world, with some of the great leaps in methodology coming from the realm of astronomy. Nowadays, there aren’t many who self-identify as an astronomer, with the American Astronomical Society having fewer than 7,000 members, for example. However, the concept of an astronomer continues to captivate audiences as a romantic figure gazing skyward.
One of the most famous people to bear the name of astronomer was the 16th-century astronomer, Nicolaus Copernicus. Copernicus developed a heliocentric model of our solar system, placing the sun at its center and the earth in orbit around it, and in doing so upended most of the prevailing worldviews of the time. Although a heliocentric model had been proposed by various brilliant minds from the world of Islam, India and Greece, Copernicus expounded it in the West in such a way that it was impossible for the world to ignore it.
Not long after Copernicus, the astronomer Galileo Galilei expanded Copernicus’ views. He made the telescope substantially more effective than it had been, allowing the astronomer to make far more detailed observations, including viewing craters on the moon, sunspots, and four of Jupiter’s moons. Galileo was a devout Catholic, and indeed traveled to Rome to show the moons of Jupiter to the Roman Jesuit College as proof of the Copernican heliocentric model. The Church rejected Galileo’s views and eventually found him highly suspected of heresy and placed under house arrest.
Sir Isaac Newton, among his many other achievements, was an influential astronomer. Many of his observations led him to develop some of his great theories of motion, gravitation and physical dynamics.
Edmond Halley, an 18th-century astronomer, devised a theory of orbits for comets. He used this theory to predict a comet in 18, which would eventually be named after him, as Halley’s Comet.
One of the fundamental historical distinctions of an astronomer is his reliance on observation to form theories. It is likely for this reason that the astronomer is such a romantic figure for most people. The skies at night are awe inspiring to most, and a lifetime spent gazing at them and trying to fathom their mysteries is one that appeals to many. While the romantic ideal of a wizened old man with his eye fixed on a telescope may no longer truly exist, it has nonetheless inspired generation after generation to become passionate about science.
Two wonderful things have happened to the field of astronomy in the modern age: quality has gone up and price has gone down. This has allowed for the emergence of a new wave of astronomers, but these are often amateurs. With a relatively small investment now, anyone can be an astronomer. In fact, some major discoveries over the past couple of decades have been made by those far from professional astronomers. As technology continues to improve, it is likely that the amateur astronomer’s role in identifying celestial phenomena is only increasing.
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