Harlow Shapley
Harlow Shapley | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 2, 1885 Nashville, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | October 20, 1972 (aged 86) Boulder, Colorado, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Missouri, Princeton University |
| Known for | Determining correct position of Sun within Milky Way Galaxy; head of Harvard College Observatory (1921–1952) |
| Spouse | Martha Betz Shapley |
| Children | 5, including
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| Awards |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy |
| Doctoral advisor | Henry Norris Russell |
| Doctoral students | Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, Carl Seyfert |
| Other notable students | Georges Lemaître |
Harlow Shapley (November 2, 1885 – October 20, 1972) was an American astronomer, who served as head of the Harvard College Observatory from 1921–1952, and political activist during the latter New Deal and Fair Deal.
Shapley used Cepheid variable stars to estimate the size of the Milky Way Galaxy and the Sun's position within it. In 1953 he proposed his "liquid water belt" theory, a concept now known as a habitable zone.