Astronomy: Harlow Shapley

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Harlow Shapley 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 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.

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Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)

Harlow Shapley Harlow Shapley (November 2, 1885 – October 20, 1972) was an American a stronomer, who served as head of the Harvard College Observatory from 1921–1952, and political activist during the 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.

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Why Harlow Shapley matters: The peopl e behind the discoveries remind us that science is a human endeavour -- driven by curiosity, persistence, and often the courage to challenge accepted ideas.

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Deep dive: Harlow Shapley Harlow Sh apley continues to be an active area of research in modern astronomy. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlow_Shapley (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)