List of astronomers
Famous astronomers and astrophysicists include:
A
- Marc Aaronson (USA, 1950 – 1987)
- George Ogden Abell (USA, 1927 – 1983)
- Antonio Abetti (Italy, 1846 – 1928)
- Giorgio Abetti (Italy, 1882 – 1982)
- Charles Greeley Abbot (USA, 1872 – 1973)
- Charles Hitchcock Adams (USA, 1868 – 1951)
- John Couch Adams (UK, 1819 – 1892)
- Walter Sydney Adams (USA, 1876 – 1956)
- Saul Adelman (USA, 1944 – )
- Abdul Ahad (UK, 1968 – )
- Petrus Alphonsi (Spain) (Jewish Spanish) (1062-1110)
- Agrippa (Greek, unknown ca. 92)
- Paul Oswald Ahnert (Germany, 1897 – 1989)
- Eva Ahnert-Rohlfs (Germany, 1912 – 1954)
- George Biddell Airy, (England, 1801 – 1892)
- Robert Aitken, (USA, 1864 – 1951)
- Al Battani (Iraq, 850 – 929)
- Albategnius (see Al-Batani)
- Vladimir Aleksandrovich Albitzky (Russia, 1891 – 1952)
- Albumasar (Persia 787 - 886)
- George Alcock (UK, 1913 – 2000)
- Harold Alden (USA, 1890 – 1964)
- Hannes Alfvén (Sweden, 1908 – 1995)
- Lawrence H. Aller (USA, 1913 – 2003)
- Abd Al-Rahman Al Sufi, (Persia, 903 – 986)
- Viktor Amazaspovich Ambartsumian, (Armenia, 1912 – 1996)
- John August Anderson, (USA, 1876 – 1959)
- Andronicus of Cyrrhus, (Greek, unknown ca. 100 BC)
- Anders Jonas Ångström (Sweden, 1814 – 1874)
- Eugène Michel Antoniadi (Greece, France, 1870 – 1944)
- Petrus Apianus (Germany, 1495 – 1557)
- François Arago (France, 1786 – 1853)
- Sylvain Arend (Belgium, 1902 – 1992)
- Friedrich Wilhelm Argelander (Germany, 1799 – 1875)
- Aristarchus of Samos (Greek, circa 310 BC – circa 230 BC)
- Christoph Arnold (Germany, 1650 – 1695)
- Halton Christian Arp (USA, 1927 –)
- Svante Arrhenius (Sweden, 1859 – 1927)
- Arzachel (Muslim from Spain), (1028 – 1087)
- Goryu Asada (Japan, 1734 –1799)
- Giuseppe Asclepi (Italy, 1706 – 1776)
- Joseph Ashbrook (USA, April 4 1918 – August 4 1980)
- Arthur Auwers (Germany, 1838 – 1915)
- Adrien Auzout (France, 1622 – 1691)
- Aryabhata (India, 476)
B
- Walter Baade (Germany, 1893 – 1960)
- Harold D. Babcock (USA, 1882 – 1968)
- Horace W. Babcock (USA, 1912 – 2003)
- Oskar Backlund (Sweden, 1846 – 1916)
- John N. Bahcall (USA, 1934 – 2005)
- Benjamin Baillaud (France, 1848 – 1934)
- Jean Sylvain Bailly (France, 1736 – 1793)
- Francis Baily (UK, 1774 – 1844)
- John Bainbridge (UK, 1582 – 1643)
- John E. Baldwin (UK, 1934 – )
- Sallie Baliunas (USA, 1953 – )
- Zoltán Balog (Hungary,USA, 1972 – )
- Benjamin Banneker (USA, 1731 – 1806)
- Edward Emerson Barnard (USA, 1857 – 1923)
- Johann Bayer (Germany, 1572 – 1625)
- Antonín Bečvář (Slovakia, 1901 – 1965)
- Wilhelm Beer (Germany, 1797 – 1850)
- Sergei Ivanovich Belyavsky (Russia, 1883 – 1953)
- Charles L. Bennett (USA, 1956- present)
- Jocelyn Bell Burnell (Ireland, 1943 – )
- Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel (Germany, 1784 – 1846)
- Wilhelm Freiherr von Biela (Austria, 1782 – 1856)
- Ludwig Biermann (Germany, 1907 – 1986)
- Wolf Bickel (Germany, [born] – [died])
- Guillaume Bigourdan (France, 1851 – 1932)
- Biruni (Persia 973 - 1048)
- Adriaan Blaauw (Netherlands, 1914 – )
- Nathaniel Bliss (UK, 1700 – 1764)
- Johann Elert Bode (Germany, 1747 – 1826)
- Alfred Bohrmann (Germany, 1904 – 2000)
- Bart Bok (Netherlands, 1906 – 1983)
- Charles Thomas Bolton (USA, 1943 – )
- John Gatenby Bolton (UK, Australia, 1922 – 1993)
- William Cranch Bond (USA, 1789 – 1859)
- Alphonse Borrelly (France, 1842 – 1926)
- Rudjer Boscovich (Dalmatia, 1711 – 1787)
- Lewis Boss (USA, 1846 – 1912)
- Alexis Bouvard (France, 1767 – 1843)
- Rychard Bouwens (USA, 1972 – )
- Edward (Ted) L. G. Bowell (USA, 1943 – )
- Ira Sprague Bowen (USA, 1898 – 1973)
- Louis Boyer (France)
- Ronald N. Bracewell (Australia, USA, 1921 – 2007)
- James Bradley (England, 1693 – 1762)
- Tycho Brahe (Denmark, 1546 – 1601)
- John Alfred Brashear (USA, 1840 – 1920)
- William Robert Brooks (USA, 1844 – 1922)
- Theodor Brorsen (Denmark, 1819 – 1895)
- Dirk Brouwer (Netherlands–USA, 1902 – 1966)
- Ernest William Brown (UK, 1866 – 1938)
- Michael (Mike) E. Brown (USA, 1965 – )
- Hermann Alexander Brück (Germany, 1905 – 2000)
- Ismael Bullialdus (France, 1605 – 1694)
- Margaret Burbidge (UK, 1919 – )
- Robert Burnham, Jr. (USA, 1931 – 1993)
- Sherburne Wesley Burnham (1838 – 1921)
- Schelte J. Bus (USA, 1956)
C
- William Wallace Campbell (USA, 1862 – 1938)
- Annie Jump Cannon (USA, 1863 – 1941)
- Luigi Carnera (Italy, 1875 – 1962)
- Edwin Francis Carpenter (USA, 1898 – 1963)
- James Carpenter (UK, 1840 – 1899)
- Richard Christopher Carrington (UK, 1826 – 1875)
- Sir John Carroll (UK, 1899 – 1974)
- César-François Cassini de Thury (France, 1714 – 1784)
- Dominique, comte de Cassini (France, 1748 – 1845)
- Giovanni Domenico Cassini a.k.a. Jean-Dominique Cassini (France, 1625 – 1712)
- Jacques Cassini (France, 1677 – 1756)
- Bonaventura Cavalieri (Italy, 1598 – 1647)
- Anders Celsius, (1701 – 1744)
- Vincenzo Cerulli, (Italy, 1859 – 1927)
- Jean Chacornac (France, 1823 – 1873)
- James Challis (UK, 1803 – 1882)
- Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (India, USA, 1910 – 1995)
- Carl Charlier (Sweden, 1862 – 1934)
- Auguste Charlois (France, 1864 – 1910)
- Lyudmila Ivanovna Chernykh (Russia?, Ukraine)
- Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh (Russia, Ukraine, 1931 – )
- James Christy (USA, 1938 – )
- Edwin Foster Coddington (USA, 1870 – 1950)
- Jérôme Eugène Coggia (France, 1849 – 1919)
- Josep Comas Solá (Spain)
- Andrew Ainslie Common (UK, 1841 – 1903)
- Guy Consolmagno (USA, 1952 – )
- E. J. Cooper (Ireland, 1798 – 1863)
- Nicolaus Copernicus (1473 – 1543)
- Corsono Carsono (Spain)
- Pablo Cottenot (France)
- Heather Couper (UK, 1949 – )
- Leopold Courvoisier (Switzerland, 1873 – 1955)
- Arthur Edwin Covington (Canada, 1914 – 2001)
- Philip Herbert Cowell (UK, 1870 – 1949)
- Thomas George Cowling (UK, 1906 – 1990)
- Andrew Claude de la Cherois Crommelin (UK, 1865 – 1939)
- James Cuffey (USA, 1911 – 1999)
- Heber Doust Curtis (USA, 1872 – 1942)
D
- Jacques Eugène d'Allonville (France, 1671 – 1732)
- Andre Louis Danjon (France, 1890 – 1967)
- Heinrich d'Arrest (Germany, 1822 – 1875)
- George Howard Darwin (UK, 1845 – 1912)
- Roger Davies (UK, 1954- )
- William Rutter Dawes (UK, 1799 – 1868)
- Bernhard Dawson (Argentina, 1890 – 1960)
- Leo de Ball (Germany, Austria, 1853 – 1916)
- Henri Debehogne (Belgium)
- Annibale de Gasparis (Italy, 1819 – 1892)
- Jean Baptiste Joseph Delambre (France, 1749 – 1822)
- Charles-Eugène Delaunay (France, 1816 – 1872)
- Eugène Joseph Delporte (Belgium, 1882 – 1955)
- Audrey Delsanti
- William Frederick Denning (UK, 1848 – 1931)
- Alíz Derekas (Hungary, 1977 – )
- Willem de Sitter (Netherlands, 1872 – 1934)
- Henri-Alexandre Deslandres (France, 1853 – 1948)
- Alexander Nikolaevich Deutsch (Russia)
- Gérard de Vaucouleurs (France, USA, 1918 – 1995)
- Robert Dicke (USA, 1916 – 1997)
- Terence Dickinson, (Canada), astronomer and author
- Thomas Digges (England, 1546 – 1595)
- Herbert Dingle (USA, 1890 – 1978)
- Andrea Di Paola (Italy)
- Ewine van Dishoeck (Netherlands, 1955 – )
- John Lowry Dobson (1915 – )
- David Dodge, (Canada) (1949 – )
- Franjo Dominko, (Slovenia, 1903 – 1987)
- Giovanni Battista Donati, (Italy, 1826 – 1873)
- Frank Drake (USA, 1930 – )
- Henry Draper (USA, 1837 – 1882)
- John Dreyer (Ireland, 1852 – 1926)
- Alexander D. Dubyago (Russia), 1903 – 1959)
- Dmitrij I. Dubyago (Russia), 1850 – 1918)
- Jean C. B. Dufay (France, 1896 – 1967)
- Raymond Smith Dugan (USA, 1878 – 1940)
- Frank Watson Dyson (UK, 1868 – 1939)
E
- Arthur Eddington (England, 1882 – 1944)
- Frank K. Edmondson, (USA), (born 1912)
- Olin J. Eggen (USA, 1919 – 1998)
- Eise Eisinga (Netherlands, 1744 – 1828)
- Eric Elst (Belgium)
- Johann Franz Encke (Germany, 1791 – 1865)
- Eratosthenes (Alexandria, 276 BC – 194 BC)
- Emil Ernst (Ph.D. Germany)
- Ernest Esclangon, (France, 1876 – 1954)
- Larry W. Esposito (USA)
- Eudoxus (Cnidus, circa 408 BC – circa 347 BC)
F
- David Fabricius (Netherlands, 1564 – 1617)
- Sandra M. Faber (USA, 1945-)
- Johannes Fabricius (Netherlands, 1587 – 1615)
- Fearon Fallows (UK, 1789 – 1831)
- Hervé Faye (1814 – 1902)
- Charles Fehrenbach (France, 1914 – )
- Farghani (Persia, d. after 861)
- James Ferguson (USA, 1797 – 1867)
- Alex Filippenko (USA, 1958 – )
- Erwin Finlay-Freundlich (1885 – 1964)
- Axel Firsoff (UK, 1910 – 1981)
- J. Richard Fisher
- Camille Flammarion (France, 1842 – 1925)
- Gabrielle Renaudot Flammarion (France, 1867 – 1962)
- John Flamsteed, (England, 1646 – 1719)
- Honoré Flaugergues (France, 1755 – 1835)
- Williamina Fleming (USA, 1857 – 1911)
- Wilhelm Julius Foerster (Germany, 1832 – 1921)
- Alfred Fowler (UK, 1868 – 1940)
- William Alfred Fowler (USA, 1911 – 1995)
- Philip Fox (USA, 1878 – 1944)
- Andrew Fraknoi (USA, 1948-)
- Joseph von Fraunhofer (Germany, 1787 – 1826)
- Herbert Friedman (USA, 1916 – 2000 )
- Dirk D. Frimout, (Belgium, 1941 – ), engineer and cosmonaut
- Edwin Brant Frost (USA, 1866 – 1935)
G
- Bryan Gaensler (Australia)
- Gan De (China, fl. 4th century BC)
- Galileo Galilei (Italy, 1564 – 1642)
- Julio Garavito Armero
- Gautama Siddha (China, fl. 8th century AD)
- Johann Gottfried Galle (Germany, 1812 – 1910)
- George Gamow (Russia, USA, 1904 – 1968)
- Carl Friedrich Gauss (Germany, 1777 – 1855)
- Tom Gehrels (Netherlands, USA, 1925 – )
- Andrea Ghez (USA)
- Riccardo Giacconi (Italy, 1931 – )
- Michel Giacobini (France, 1873 – 1938)
- Henry Lee Giclas (USA)
- David Gill (UK, 1843 – 1914)
- Thomas Gold (USA, 1920 – 2004)
- Leo Goldberg (USA, 1913 – 1987)
- Peter Goldreich (USA, 1939 – )
- Hermann Mayer Salomon Goldschmidt (Germany, 1802 – 1866)
- François Gonnessiat (France, 1856 – 1934)
- John Goodricke (UK, 1764 – 1786)
- Abu Sa'id Gorgani (Persia, 9th century)
- Paul Götz (Germany)
- Benjamin Apthorp Gould (USA, 1824 – 1896)
- Andrew Graham (Ireland, 1815 – 1907)
- Charles Green (England, 1735 – 1771)
- Jesse Greenstein (USA, 1909 – 2002)
- Jay U. Gunter, (United States, 1911 - 1994)
- Alexander A. Gurshtein
- Bengt Gustafsson, (Sweden, 1943 – )
- Guo Shoujing (China, 1231 – 1316)
- Alan Harvey Guth (USA, 1947 – )
H
- Yusuke Hagihara (Japan, 1897 –1979)
- George Ellery Hale (USA, 1868 – 1938)
- Asaph Hall (USA, 1829 – 1907)
- Edmond Halley (England, 1656 – 1742)
- Peter Andreas Hansen (December 8, 1795 – March 28 1874)
- Abulfazl Harawi (Persia, 10th century)
- Karl Ludwig Harding (Germany, 1765 – 1834)
- Thomas Hariot (UK, 1560 – 1621)
- Guillermo Haro (Mexico, 1913 – 1988)
- Robert G. Harrington (USA)
- Robert Sutton Harrington (USA, 1942 – 1993)
- Edward Robert Harrison (UK/USA, 1917 – 2007)
- William Kenneth Hartmann (USA, 1939 – )
- Stephen Hawking (UK, 1942 – )
- Will Hay (UK, 1888 - 1949)
- John Frederick Heard (Canada, 1907 - 1976)
- Otto Hermann Leopold Heckmann (Germany, 1901 – 1983)
- Carl Heiles (USA, 1939 – )
- Joseph Helffrich (Germany, 1872 - ?)
- Eleanor Helin (USA)
- Maximilian Hell (Austria-Hungary, 1720 – 1792)
- Karl Ludwig Hencke (Germany, 1793 – 1866)
- Thomas Henderson (Scotland, 1798 – 1844)
- Paul Henry (France, 1848 – 1905)
- Prosper Henry (France, 1849 – 1903)
- Abraham bar Hiyya (Spanish Jewish), (1070-1136)
- George Howard Herbig (USA, 1920 – )
- Caroline Herschel (UK, 1750 – 1848)
- John Herschel (UK, 1792 – 1871)
- William Herschel (UK, 1738 – 1822)
- Ejnar Hertzsprung (Denmark, 1873 – 1967)
- Johannes Hevelius (1611 – 1687)
- Antony Hewish (UK, 1924 – )
- George William Hill (USA, 1838 – 1914)
- John Russell Hind (UK, 1823 – 1895)
- Hipparchus (Nicaea, circa 190 BC – 120 BC)
- Kiyotsugu Hirayama (Japan, 1874 – 1943)
- Shin Hirayama (Japan, 1868 – 1945)
- Gustave-Adolphe Hirn (France, 1815 – 1890)
- Cuno Hoffmeister (Germany, 1892 – 1968)
- Dorrit Hoffleit (USA, 1907 – 2007 )
- Helen Sawyer Hogg (Canada, 1905 – 1993)
- Minoru Honda (Japan, 1917 –1990)
- Jeremiah Horrocks (UK, c1619 – 1641)
- Cornelis Johannes van Houten (Netherlands, 1920 – August 24 2002)
- Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld (Netherlands)
- Martin van den Hove (Netherlands, 1605 – 1639)
- Fred Hoyle (UK, 1915 – 2001)
- Edwin Powell Hubble (USA, 1889 – 1953)
- William Huggins (UK, 1824 – 1910)
- Russell Alan Hulse (USA, 1950 – )
- Hendrik Christoffel van de Hulst (Netherlands, 1918 – 2000)
- Milton Lasell Humason (USA, 1891 – 1972)
- Christiaan Huygens (Netherlands, 1629 – 1695)
- Josef Allen Hynek (USA, 1910 – 1986)
I
- I Sin (China, 683 – 727)
- Icko Iben, Jr. (1931 – )
- Kaoru Ikeya (Japan)
- Robert Thorburn Ayton Innes (Scotland, South Africa, 1861 – 1933)
- Edward Israel (USA, 1859 – 1884)
J
- Cyril V. Jackson (South Africa)
- Karl Guthe Jansky (USA, 1905 – 1950)
- Pierre Jules César Janssen (France, 1824 – 1907)
- James Jeans (UK,1877 – 1946)
- Benjamin Jekhowsky (Russia, France, Algeria, 1881 – ?)
- Louise Freeland Jenkins (USA, 1888 – 1970)
- David Jewitt
- Jiao Bingzhen (China, 1689 – 1726)
- Alfred Harrison Joy (USA, 1882 – 1973)
K
- Franz Kaiser (Germany, 1891 – 1962)
- Piet van de Kamp (Netherlands, USA, 1901 – 1995)
- Jacobus Kapteyn (Netherlands, 1851 – 1922)
- Lyudmila Georgievna Karachkina (Ukraine)
- Ghiyath al-Kashi (Persia, 1380 - 1429)
- James Edward Keeler (USA, 1857 – 1900)
- Johannes Kepler (Germany, 1571 – 1630)
- Omar Khayyám (Persia, 1048 – 1131)
- Al-Khujandi (Persia, 10th century)
- Khwarizmi, (Persia, 780 – 850)
- Kidinnu (Babylon, 4th century BC ; d. 330 BC?)
- Hisashi Kimura (Japan, 1870 –1943)
- Daniel Kirkwood (USA, 1814 – 1895)
- Ernst Friedrich Wilhelm Klinkerfues (Germany, 1827 – 1884)
- Viktor Knorre (Russia, 1840 – 1919)
- Takao Kobayashi (Japan)
- Luboš Kohoutek (1935 – )
- Zdeněk Kopal (Czech Republic, UK, USA, 1914 – 1993)
- August Kopff (Germany, 1882 – 1960)
- Korado Korlević (Croatia)
- Charles T. Kowal (USA, 1940 – )
- Robert Kraft
- Ľubor Kresák (Slovakia, 1927 – 1994)
- Gerard Kuiper (Netherlands, USA, 1905 – 1973)
- Yoshio Kushida (Japan, 1957 – )
L
- Nicolas Louis de Lacaille (France, 1713 – 1762)
- Claes-Ingvar Lagerkvist (Sweden)
- Joseph-Louis Lagrange (France, 1736 – 1813)
- Jérôme Lalande (France, 1732 – 1807)
- Johann Heinrich Lambert (France, Germany, 1728 – 1777)
- Samuel Pierpont Langley (USA, 1834 – 1906)
- Pierre-Simon Laplace (France, 1749 – 1827)
- William Lassell (UK, 1799 – 1880)
- A. Laurent (France)
- Henrietta Swan Leavitt (USA, 1868 – 1921)
- Typhoon Lee (USA and Taiwan)
- Guillaume Le Gentil (France, 1725 – 1792)
- Georges Lemaître (Belgium, 1894 – 1966)
- Pierre Lemonnier (France, 1715 – 1799)
- Armin Leuschner (Germany, 1868 – 1953)
- Urbain Le Verrier (France, 1811 – 1877)
- David Levy (Canada)
- Li Fan (China, fl. 1st century AD)
- Bertil Lindblad (Sweden, 1895 – 1965)
- Adolph Friedrich Lindemann (Germany/UK, 1846 – 1927)
- Chris Lintott (United Kingdom, 1980 – )
- Joseph Johann Littrow (Austria, 1781 – 1840)
- Karl L. Littrow (Austria, 1811 – 1877)
- Liu Xin (China, fl. 1st century AD)
- Joseph Lockyer (UK, 1836 – 1920)
- Maurice Loewy (Austria/France, 1833 – 1907)
- Christian Sørensen Longomontanus (Denmark, 1562 – 1647)
- Percival Lowell (USA, 1855 – 1916)
- Àngel López (Spain)
- Álvaro López-García (Spain)
- John William Lubbock (UK, 1803 – 1865)
- Knut Lundmark (Sweden, 1889 – 1958)
- Robert Luther (Germany, 1822 – 1900)
- Lupitus of Barcelona (Spain)
- Jane Luu (South Vietnam, USA 1965 – )
- Willem Luyten (Dutch East Indies, Netherlands, 1899 – 1994)
- Donald Lynden-Bell (UK, 1935 – )
- Bernard Lyot (France, 1897 – 1952)
M
- Ma Yize (China, 910 – 1005)
- Adriaan van Maanen (USA, 1884 – 1946)
- George Parker, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield (UK, c. 1697 – 1764)
- Amy Mainzer (USA)
- Geoff Marcy (UK, USA, 1954 – )
- Simon Marius (Germany, 1573 – 1624)
- Brian Marsden (USA, 1937 – )
- Albert Marth (Germany, 1828 – 1897)
- Nevil Maskelyne (UK, 1732 – 1811)
- Charles Mason (UK, USA, 1730 – 1787)
- John C. Mather (USA, 1946 – )
- Janet Akyüz Mattei (Turkey/USA, 1943 – 2004)
- Edward Walter Maunder (UK, 1851 – 1928)
- Pierre Louis Maupertuis (France, 1698 – 1759)
- Alain Maury (France)
- Brian May (UK, 1947 – ) astronomer and musician
- Cornell Mayer (USA, 1922 – 2005)
- Tobias Mayer (Germany, 1723 – 1762)
- Christopher McKee (USA, 1942 – )
- Robert S. McMillan (USA)
- William H. McCrea (UK, 1904 – 1999)
- Bruce A. McIntosh (Canada, 1929 – )
- Pierre Méchain (France, 1744 – 1804)
- Thebe Medupe (South Africa)
- Karen Jean Meech (USA)
- Aden Baker Meinel (USA, 1922 – )
- Fulvio Melia (USA, 1956 – )
- Philibert Jacques Melotte (UK, 1880 – 1961)
- Paul Willard Merrill (USA, 1887 – 1961)
- Charles Messier (France, 1730 – 1817)
- Joel Hastings Metcalf (USA, 1866 – 1925)
- Andreas Gerasimos Michalitsianos (USA, 1947 – 1997)
- John Michell (UK, 1724 – 1793)
- Elia Millosevich (Italy, 1848 – 1919)
- Edward Arthur Milne (UK, 1896 – 1950)
- Rudolph Minkowski (Germany, 1895 – 1976)
- Marcel Gilles Jozef Minnaert (Belgium, Netherlands, 1893 – 1970)
- Maria Mitchell (USA, 1818 – 1889)
- August Ferdinand Möbius (Germany, 1790 – 1868)
- Johan Maurits Mohr (Netherlands, 1716 – 1775)
- Samuel Molyneux (UK, 1689 – 1728 astronomer and politician)
- Geminiano Montanari (Italy, 1633 – 1687)
- Patrick Moore (UK, 1923 – )
- William Wilson Morgan (USA, 1906 – 1994)
- Amédée Mouchez (France, 1821 – 1892)
- Antonín Mrkos (Czech Republic, 1918 – 1996)
- Jean Mueller (USA, 1950 – )
- Johannes Müller (Germany, 1436 – 1476)
- bin Musa, Ahmad, (Persia, 805 - 873)
- bin Musa, Hasan, (Persia, 810 - 873)
- bin Musa, Muhammad, (Persia, (800 - 873)
- Nils Mustelin (Finland, 1931 – 2004)
N
- Naburimannu (Babylonia, sometime between 6th century BC and 2nd century BC)
- Ahmad Nahavandi (Persia, 7th-8th century)
- Syuichi Nakano (Japan)
- Jayant Narlikar (India, 1938 – )
- Naubakht (Persia, d. 776)
- Al-fadl ibn Naubakht (Persia, 8th century)
- Otto Neugebauer (Germany, USA, 1899 – 1990)
- Grigoriy Nikolaevich Neujmin (Russia, 1886 – 1946)
- Simon Newcomb (USA, 1835 – 1909)
- Isaac Newton (UK, 1643 – 1727)
- Seth Barnes Nicholson (USA, 1891 – 1963)
- Albertus Antonie Nijland (Netherlands, 1868 – 1936)
- Peter Nilson (Sweden, 1937 – 1998)
- Houei Nojiri (Japan, 1885 – 1977) astronomer and essayist
- Jaime Nomen (Spain)
O
- Knut Jørgen Røed Ødegaard (Norway,1966 – )
- Tarmo Oja (Sweden)
- Heinrich Wilhelm Matthäus Olbers (Germany, 1758 – 1840)
- Gerard O'Neill (USA,1927 – 1992)
- Jan Hendrik Oort (Netherlands, 1900 – 1992)
- Pieter Oosterhoff (Netherlands, 1904 – 1978)
- Friedrich Wilhelm Opelt (Germany, 1794 – 1863)
- Ernst Öpik (Estonia, Ireland, 1893 – 1985)
- José Luis Ortiz Moreno (Spain)
- Donald Edward Osterbrock, USA, 1924 – )
- Liisi Oterma (Finland, 1915 – 2001)
- Jean Abraham Chrétien Oudemans (Netherlands, 1827 – 1906)
P
- Rafael Pacheco (Spain)
- Bohdan Paczynski, (Poland, 1940 – 2007)
- Ľudmila Pajdušáková (Slovakia, 1916 – 1979)
- Johann Palisa, (Austria, 1848 – 1925)
- Johann Palitzsch, (Germany, 1723 – 1788)
- Anton Pannekoek (Netherlands, 1873 – 1960)
- Eugene Parker (USA, 1927 – )
- George Parker, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield (UK, c. 1697 – 1764)
- William Parsons, Lord Rosse (Ireland, 1800 – 1867)
- André Patry (France, 1902 – 1960)
- Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (UK, USA, 1900 – 1979)
- James Peebles (Canada, USA, 1935 – )
- Leslie Copus Peltier (USA, 1900 – 1980)
- Roger Penrose (UK, 1931 – )
- Arno Penzias (Germany, 1933 – )
- Charles Dillon Perrine (USA, Argentina, 1867 – 1951)
- Henri Joseph Anastase Perrotin (France, 1845 – 1904)
- Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters (Germany, USA, 1813 – 1890)
- George Henry Peters (USA, 1863 – 1947)
- Mark M. Phillips, {USA, 1951)
- Giuseppe Piazzi (Italy, 1746 – 1826)
- Edward Charles Pickering (USA, 1846 – 1919)
- William Henry Pickering (USA, 1858 – 1938)
- Maynard Pittendreigh (USA, 1954 – )
- Philip Plait (USA)
- Giovanni Antonio Amedeo Plana (Italy, 1781 – 1864)
- Petrus Plancius (Netherlands, 1552 – 1622)
- John Stanley Plaskett (Canada, 1865 – 1941)
- Norman Robert Pogson, (UK, 1829 – 1891)
- Christian Pollas, (France)
- John Pond (England, 1767 – 1836)
- Jean-Louis Pons (France, 1761 – 1831)
- Vladimír Porubčan (Slovakia, 1940 – )
- Charles Pritchard (UK, 1808 – 1893)
- Richard Proctor (England, 1837 – 1888)
- Ptolemy of Alexandria (Roman Egypt, circa 85 – 165)
- Pierre Puiseux (France, 1855 – 1928)
- Georg Purbach (Germany, 1423 – 1461)
- Pythagoras of Samos, circa 580 [[BeforSamos, circa 580 BC – 500 BC)
Q
- Adolphe Quetelet (Belgium, 1796 – 1874)
R
- Radhagobinda Chandra
- David Lincoln Rabinowitz (USA, 1960 – )
- Grote Reber (USA, 1911 – 2002)
- Martin Rees (UK, 1942 – )
- Regiomontanus (Johannes Müller) (Germany, 1436 – 1476)
- Erasmus Reinhold (Prussia, Germany, 1511 – 1553)
- Karl Reinmuth (Germany, 1892 – 1979)
- Pieter Johannes van Rhijn (Netherlands, 1886 – 1960)
- Giovanni Battista Riccioli (Italy, 1598 – 1671)
- Jean Richer (France, 1630 – 1696)
- Fernand Rigaux (Belgium)
- David Rittenhouse (USA, 1732 – 1796)
- Arjen Roelofs (Netherlands, 1754 – 1824)
- Elizabeth Roemer (USA, 1929 – )
- Ole Christensen Rømer (Denmark, 1644 – 1710)
- Otto A. Rosenberger (Germany, 1800 – 1890)
- Lord Rosse (Ireland, 1800 – 1867)
- Bruno Rossi (Italy, 1905 – 1993)
- Vera Rubin (USA, 1928 – )
- Henry Norris Russell (USA, 1877 – 1957)
- Martin Ryle (UK, 1918 – 1984)
S
- Sir Edward Sabine (Ireland, 1788 – 1883)
- Carl Edward Sagan (USA, 1934 – 1996)
- Megh Nad Saha (Bangladesh/India, 1893 – 1956)
- Edwin Ernest Salpeter (Austria, Australia, USA, 1924 – )
- Allan Rex Sandage (USA, 1926 – )
- Hendricus Gerardus van de Sande Bakhuyzen (Netherlands, 1838 – 1923)
- Wallace Leslie William Sargent (UK, USA, 1935 – m. to Anneila Sargent)
- Anneila Sargent (UK, USA, 1942 – m. to Wallace Leslie William Sargent)
- Alexandre Schaumasse (France, 1882 – 1958)
- Giovanni Virginio Schiaparelli (Italy, 1835 – 1910)
- Frank Schlesinger (USA, 1871 – 1943)
- Bernhard Schmidt (Estonia, Sweden, Germany, 1879 – 1935)
- Maarten Schmidt (Netherlands, 1929 – )
- Johann Hieronymus Schröter (Germany, 1745 – 1816)
- Lipót Schulhof (Hungary, 1847 – 1921)
- Heinrich Christian Schumacher (Germany, 1780 – 1850)
- Hans-Emil Schuster (Germany, 1934 – )
- Samuel Heinrich Schwabe (Germany, 1789 – 1875)
- Karl Schwarzschild (Germany, 1873 – 1916)
- Martin Schwarzschild (Germany, USA, 1912 – 1997)
- Friedrich Karl Arnold Schwassmann (Germany, 1870 – 1964)
- Ruby Payne Scott (Australia, 1912 – 1981)
- James Vernon Scotti (USA, 1960 – )
- Frederick Hanley Seares (USA, 1873 – 1964)
- George Mary Searle (USA, 1839 – 1918)
- Angelo Secchi (Italy, 1818 – 1878)
- Waltraut Seitter (Germany, 1930 – 2007)
- Tsutomu Seki (Japan, 1930 – )
- Carl Keenan Seyfert (USA, 1911 – 1960)
- Grigory Abramovich Shajn (Russia, 1892 – 1956)
- Pelageya Fedorovna Shajn (Russia, 1894 – 1956)
- Harlow Shapley (USA, 1885 – 1972)
- Richard Sheepshanks (UK, 1794 – 1855)
- Shen Kuo, China, 1031 – 1035
- Shi Shen (China, fl. 4th century BC)
- Qutb eddin Shirazi (Persia, 1236 – 1311)
- Iosif Samuilovich Shklovsky (Russia, 1916 – 1985)
- Carolyn Jean Spellmann Shoemaker (USA, 1929 – )
- Eugene Merle Shoemaker (USA, 1928 – 1997)
- Willem de Sitter (Netherlands, 1872 – 1934)
- Charlotte Moore Sitterly (USA, 1898 – 1990)
- Brian A. Skiff (USA)
- John Francis Skjellerup (Australia, South Africa, 1875 – 1952)
- Vesto Melvin Slipher (USA, 1875 – 1969)
- Tamara Mikhaylovna Smirnova (Russia, 1918 – )
- George Smoot (USA, 1945 –)
- William Henry Smyth (UK, 1788 – 1865)
- Willebrord Snel van Royen (Snellius) (Netherlands, 1580 – 1626)
- Mary Fairfax Somerville (UK, 1780 – 1872)
- Sir James South (UK, (1785 – 1867)
- Sir Harold Spencer Jones (UK, 1890 – 1960)
- Lyman Spitzer (USA, 1914 – 1997)
- Friederich Wilhelm Gustav Spörer (Germany, 1822 – 1895)
- Anton Staus (Germany, 1872 – 1955)
- Joel Stebbins, (USA, 1878 – 1966)
- Johan Stein, (Netherlands, 1871 – 1951)
- Karl August von Steinheil, (Germany, 1801 – 1870)
- Édouard Jean-Marie Stephan, (France, 1837 – 1923)
- David J. Stevenson, (New Zealand, 1948 – )
- Edward James Stone, (1831 – 1897)
- F.J.M. Stratton (UK, 1881 – 1960)
- Bengt Georg Daniel Strömgren, (Denmark, 1908 – 1987)
- Friedrich Georg Wilhelm (von) Struve (Germany, Russia, 1793 – 1864)
- Karl Hermann Struve (Russia, Germany, 1854 – 1920)
- Gustav Wilhelm Ludwig Struve (Russia, 1858 – 1920)
- Otto Struve (Russia, USA, 1897 – 1963)
- Otto Wilhelm (von) Struve (Russia, 1819 – 1905)
- Su Song (China, 1020 – 1101)
- Abd Al-Rahman Al Sufi (Persia, 903 – 986)
- Rashid Alievich Sunyaev (Uzbekistan Russia Germany, 1943 – )
- Lewis A. Swift (USA, 1820 – 1913)
- Frédéric Sy (France)
- Gyula M. Szabó (Hungary, 1979 )
T
- Atsushi Takahashi (Japan)
- Joseph Hooton Taylor Jr. (USA, 1941 – )
- Ernst Wilhelm Leberecht Tempel, (Germany, 1821 – 1889)
- Thabit ibn Qurra (Iraq, 826 – 901)
- Thorvald Nicolai Thiele (Denmark, 1838 – 1910)
- Norman G. Thomas (USA)
- John Thome ((USA, Argentina, 1843 – 1908)
- Kip Stephen Thorne (USA, 1940 – )
- Friedrich Tietjen (Germany, 1834 – 1895)
- Beatrice Muriel Hill Tinsley (USA, 1941 – 1981)
- François Félix Tisserand (France, 1845 – 1896)
- Johann Daniel Titius (Germany, 1729 – 1796)
- Clyde W. Tombaugh (USA, 1906 – 1997)
- Richard Tousey (USA, 1908 – 1997)
- Virginia Trimble (USA)
- Chad Trujillo (USA, 1973 – )
- Robert Julius Trumpler (USA, 1886 – 1956)
- R. Brent Tully (USA)
- Herbert Hall Turner (England, 1861 – 1930)
- Nasir al-Din Tusi (Persia, 1201 – 1274)
- Horace Parnell Tuttle (USA, 1839 – 1923)
- Neil deGrasse Tyson (USA, 1958 – )
U
- Ulugh Beg (Persia, 1394 – 1449)
- Antonio de Ulloa (Spain), (1716-1795)
- Albrecht Unsöld (Germany, 1905 – 1995)
- Mu’ayyad al-Din al-’Urdi (worked in Maragha observatory, Persia d. 1266}
V
- Yrjö Väisälä (Finland, 1891 – 1971)
- Benjamin Valz (France, 1787 – 1867)
- James Van Allen (USA, 1914 – 2006)
- George Van Biesbroeck (Belgium, USA, 1880 – 1974)
- Hendrik Christoffel van de Hulst (Netherlands, 1918 – 2000)
- Peter van de Kamp (USA, 1901 – 1995)
- Sidney van den Bergh (Canada, 1929 – )
- Martin van den Hove (Netherlands, 1605 – 1639)
- Hendricus Gerardus van de Sande Bakhuyzen (Netherlands, 1838 – 1923)
- Hendrik van Gent (Netherlands, South Africa, (1900 – March 29, 1947)
- Cornelis Johannes van Houten (Netherlands, 1920 – August 24 2002)
- Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld (Netherlands)
- Pieter Johannes van Rhijn (Netherlands, 1886 – August 24 1960)
- Gérard de Vaucouleurs (France, USA, 1918 – 1995)
- Zdeňka Vávrová (Czech Republic or Slovakia)
- Philippe Véron (France, 1939 – )
- Frank Washington Very (USA, 1852 – 1927)
- Yvon Villarceau (France, 1813 – 1883)
- Julie Vinter Hansen (Denmark), 1890 – 1960)
- Hermann Carl Vogel (Germany, 1841 – 1907)
- Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve (Germany, Russia, 1793 – 1864)
- Otto Wilhelm von Struve (Russia, 1819 – 1905)
- Alexander N. Vyssotsky (Russia USA, 1888 – 1973 )
- Emma Vyssotsky (USA, 1894 – 1975)
W
- Arno Arthur Wachmann (Germany, 1902 – 1990)
- Abul Wáfa (Persia, 940 – 997-8)
- Walcher of Malvern (England, d. 1135)
- George Wallerstein (1930 – )
- William Wales (UK, ca. 1734 - 1798), astronomer on Captain Cook's second voyage to the Pacific and later teacher at Christ's hospital. Possibly an inspiration for Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"
- Qingde Wang (USA, China)
- James Craig Watson (USA, 1838 – 1880)
- Kim Weaver (USA, 1969 – )
- Thomas William Webb (UK, 1807 – 1885)
- Alfred Lothar Wegener (Germany, 1880 – 1930), astronomer, geologist, meteorologist
- Gary A. Wegner (USA, 1944 – )
- Wei Pu (China, fl. 11th century)
- Karl von Weizsäcker (Germany, 1912 – 2007)
- Godefroy Wendelin (Belgium, 1580 – 1667)
- Richard M. West (Denmark, 1942 – )
- J. G. Westphal (Germany)
- Johann Heinrich Westphal (Germany, Italy, 1794 – 1831)
- George Wetherill (1925 – 2006)
- John Archibald Wheeler (USA, 1911 – )
- Fred Lawrence Whipple (USA, 1906 – 2004)
- Albert Whitford (USA, 1905 – 2002)
- Chandra Wickramasinghe (UK, 1939 – )
- Paul Wild (Switzerland)
- Olin C. Wilson (USA, 1909 – 1994)
- Robert Wilson (USA, 1936 – )
- John Winthrop (Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1714 – 1779)
- Friedrich August Theodor Winnecke (Germany, 1835 – 1897)
- Carl Wirtanen (USA, 1910 – 1990)
- Jack Wisdom (USA)
- Gustav Witt (Germany, 1866 – 1946)
- Maximilian Wolf (Germany, 1863 – 1932)
- Aleksander Wolszczan (Poland, 1946 – )
- Richard van der Riet Woolley (UK, 1906 – 1986)
- Thomas Wright (UK, 1711 – 1786)
Y
- Issei Yamamoto (Japan, 1889 – 1959)
- Yi Xing (China, 683 – 727)
- Charles Augustus Young (USA, 1834 – 1908)
- James Whitney Young (USA, 1941 – )
Z
- Franz Xaver von Zach (Germany, 1753 – 1832)
- Abraham Zacuto (Spain/Portugal, 1450 – 1510)
- Yakov Borisovich Zel'dovich (USSR, 1914 – 1987)
- Zhang Daqing (China, 1969 – )
- Zhang Heng (China, 78 – 139)
- Zhang Yuzhe (China, 1902 – 1986)
- Lyudmila Vasil'evna Zhuravleva (Russia/Ukraine, ? – )
- Zu Chongzhi, (425 – 500)
- Fritz Zwicky (Switzerland, USA, 1898 – 1974)
Others
Other scientists whose work had an impact on astronomy and astrophysics
- Hans Bethe (physicist) (1906 – 2005)
- Niels Bohr (physicist) (1885 – 1962)
- Freeman Dyson (physicist) (1923 – )
- Albert Einstein (physicist) (1879 – 1955)
- James Clerk Maxwell (physicist) (United Kingdom, 1831 – 1879)
- Thomas Young (physicist) (United Kingdom, 1773 – 1829)
Instrument makers, illustrators, etc.
- John Bird (1709 – 1776)
- Chesley Bonestell (1888 – 1986)
- Andreas Cellarius (cartographer) (Netherlands, Germany, 1596 – 1665)
- Thomas Cooke (1807 – 1868)
- Alvan Clark (1804 – 1887)
- John Dollond (1706 – 1761)
- Henry Fitz (1808 – 1863) [1]
- James Gregory (1638 – 1675)
- Hans Lippershey (1570 - 1619)
- Jesse Ramsden (1735 – 1800)
- George Willis Ritchey (1864 – 1945)
- James Short (1710 – 1768)
- William Simms (1793 – 1860)
- William Simms (1817 – 1907)
- Edward Troughton (1756 – 1835)