Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers

The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers is a unique and valuable resource for historians and astronomers alike. It includes approximately 2300 biographical sketches of astronomers from antiquity to modern times. Led by an editorial board of historians and astronomers, this is the collective work of over 400 authors. It provides biographical information on astronomers and planetary scientists, utilizing contemporary historical scholarship. 

The revised third edition adds approximately 450 new biographical sketches to this comprehensive reference work. It brings existing entries fully up to date and expands on gaps in 19th century coverage. Additionally, it now extends its scope from individuals born prior to 1920 to those born before roughly 1950. The editors have carefully navigated the burgeoning, interdisciplinary subfields of 20th century astronomy to curate dozens of new entries on individuals who contributed directly to astronomy and planetary science during that period.

Individual entries vary from 100 to 1500 words, including luminaries such as Aristarchus, Claudius Ptolemy, Sir Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein, as well as lesser-known astronomers like Galileo's acolyte, Mario Guiducci.

Editors-in-Chief:

Philip Nicholson is an Australian by birth and received a BSc (Hons) in physics at the University of Queensland in 1972.  He completed his graduate studies in planetary science and astronomy at Caltech, receiving his PhD in 1979. His principal research interests are in planetary dynamics -- in particular the structure and dynamics of planetary rings – and in infrared observations of the outer planets. In 1994 he led  a team of astronomers observing the impacts of comet Shoemaker Levy 9 with Jupiter at Palomar Observatory’s Hale telescope, and in 1997 he was a co-discoverer, with Bett Gladman and Joseph Burns, of the first known irregular satellites of Uranus, Caliban and Sycorax. From 1992 through 2019 he served as  a member of the science team for the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer instrument on NASA’s Cassini mission to Saturn. 

Philip Nicholson is a Professor of Astronomy at Cornell University inIthaca, New York, located in the heart of the Finger Lakes region. He has twice served as chair of the American Astronomical Society’s (AAS) Division for Dynamical Astronomy (DDA) and for 20 years as Editor-in-Chief of the planetary sciences journal Icarus. He is currently vice-chair of the Astronomical Society of New York (ASNY). He is the 2019 recipient of the Masursky medal of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the AAS.

He is unmarried and lives an ascetic life with his cat Grace. Besides astronomy, his passions are travel, archaeology and family history.

Jennifer Bartlett earned her PhD in astronomy at the University of Virginia, where she studied under Philip A. Ianna. As part of this work, she investigated Peter van de Kamp’s claims starting in 1963 to have detected an extrasolar planet orbiting Barnard’s Star. To do so, she used the 26” McCormick refractor dedicated in 1885 and reviewed photographic plates dating back to 1916.  Fromthis experience, she developed a deep passion for the history of science, archival observations, and legacy instruments.

Jennifer Bartlett is an Astronomer with the U.S. Naval Observatory, where she promotes the traditional practice of celestial navigation. Previously, she taught introductory astronomy at Hampden-Sydney College and had a professional career as an engineer. She is chair of the American Astronomical Society’s (AAS) Working Group on the Preservation of Astronomical Heritage (WGPAH), an oral history interviewer, and a contributor to the Astronomy Geneology Project. In addition, she is a member of the Organizing Committee for the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Commission 1A on Astrometry and a member of IAU Division C Education, Outreach and Heritage. 

Although she lives with four cats, Jennifer Bartlett is saved from the stigma of “crazy cat lady” by the steadying influence of her husband and son. 

Consulting Editor:

Thomas Hockey received the first PhD in Astronomy & History granted by New Mexico State University, studying under astronomers Herbert and Reta Beebe and historian William Eamon. The near-alignment of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, and the exploitation of that alignment by the Voyager spacecraft (1980s), inspired Hockey to conduct a historical examination of the outer Solar System. The impact of comet Shoemaker-Levy-9 with Jupiter (1994) created new interest in his historical study of the giant planet. Hockey’s subsequent book led to the publishing relationship that today results in the multi-year effort known as the Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers.

Thomas Hockey is a Professor of Astronomy at the University of Northern Iowa. He serves as chair of the American Astronomical Society’s [AAS] Historical Astronomy Division and is secretary of the International Astronomical Union’s Commission 41 Working Group on Astronomyand World Heritage. He also edit’s the AAS’s journal, Astronomy Education Review. Hockey is married with two children and a Siberian Husky.