Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers

The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers is a unique and valuable resource for historians and astronomers alike. It includes approx. 1850 biographical sketches on astronomers from antiquity to modern times. It is the collective work of 430 authors edited by an editorial board of 8 historians and astronomers. This reference provides biographical information on astronomers and cosmologists by utilizing contemporary historical scholarship. The fully corrected and updated second edition adds approximately 300 biographical sketches. Based on ongoing research and feedback from the community, the new entries will fill gaps and provide expansions. In addition, greater emphasis on Russo phone astronomers and radio astronomers is given. Individual entries vary from 100 to 1500 words, including the likes of the super luminaries such as Newton and Einstein, as well as lesser-known astronomers like Galileo's acolyte, Mario Guiducci.

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 Astronomy and World Heritage. He also edit’s the AAS’sjournal, Astronomy Education Review. Hockey is married with two children and a Siberian Husky.