Today in the History of Astronomy | Astronomy.com

Nov. 2, 1885: Birth of Harlow Shapley

Elisa Neckar — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 14:00:00 +0000

Born Nov. 2, 1885, In Missouri, Harlow Shapley earned a Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1913. From 1914 to 1921, he was posted at Mount Wilson Observatory, where he used the 60-inch telescope to study globular clusters and Cepheid variables. From 1921 to 1952, Shapley was the director of the Harvard College Observatory, helping establishContinue reading "Nov. 2, 1885: Birth of Harlow Shapley"

The post Nov. 2, 1885: Birth of Harlow Shapley appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Nov. 1, 1917: The Hooker Telescope sees first light

Elisa Neckar — Sat, 01 Nov 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Under the leadership of George Ellery Hale, the mirror for Mount Wilson’s 100-inch scope was ordered in 1906. Businessman John Hooker initially covered the expenses; when he later withdrew his support, Andrew Carnegie would complete the funding. The project was delayed several times, at first by disappointment with the initial version of the mirror thatContinue reading "Nov. 1, 1917: The Hooker Telescope sees first light"

The post Nov. 1, 1917: The Hooker Telescope sees first light appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Oct. 31, 1992: The pope addresses the Galileo affair

Elisa Neckar — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 13:00:00 +0000

It’s one of the most famous science vs. religion cases of all time: Galileo Galilei is tried by in the Inquisition in 1633 for daring to suggest that the Sun, not Earth, was the center of the universe. Enraged by this Copernican heresy, the Church places Galileo under house arrest for the rest of hisContinue reading "Oct. 31, 1992: The pope addresses the Galileo affair"

The post Oct. 31, 1992: The pope addresses the Galileo affair appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Oct. 30, 1981: Venera 13 launches

Elisa Neckar — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Part of the Soviet Venera program to explore Venus, Venera 13 launched on Oct. 30, 1981. Though not the first mission to return images of the venusian surface – Venera 9 had achieved that in 1975 – Venera 13 was the first to send color imagery. The panoramic shots it returned were golden hued dueContinue reading "Oct. 30, 1981: Venera 13 launches"

The post Oct. 30, 1981: Venera 13 launches appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Oct. 29, 1998: John Glenn returns to space

Elisa Neckar — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 13:00:00 +0000

John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth when he blasted off in Friendship 7 on Feb. 20, 1962. His flight made him an American hero during the heights of the Space Race, and the oldest man in space at the time of that mission. He subsequently served four six-year terms in the SenateContinue reading "Oct. 29, 1998: John Glenn returns to space"

The post Oct. 29, 1998: John Glenn returns to space appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Oct. 27, 1961: The first Saturn rocket launches

Elisa Neckar — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Five months after President John F. Kennedy promised that America would put a man on the Moon, NASA successfully showed that they had a rocket to get them there. Under development with Wernher von Braun’s team since 1957, the Saturn I rocket consisted of a booster stage with a liquid oxygen tank at its core,Continue reading "Oct. 27, 1961: The first Saturn rocket launches"

The post Oct. 27, 1961: The first Saturn rocket launches appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Oct. 26, 2004: Cassini at Titan

Richard Talcott — Sun, 26 Oct 2025 13:00:00 +0000

On Oct. 26, 2004, the Cassini spacecraft made its first close pass by Saturn’s planet-size moon, Titan (later known as Titan Flyby A). After a seven-year journey — the last four months of which were spent in orbit around Saturn — Cassini plunged within 745 miles (1,200 kilometers) of the world’s surface. It snapped hundredsContinue reading "Oct. 26, 2004: Cassini at Titan"

The post Oct. 26, 2004: Cassini at Titan appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Oct. 25, 1671: Iapetus is discovered

Elisa Neckar — Sat, 25 Oct 2025 13:00:00 +0000

In 1669, French-Italian astronomer Giovanni Cassini arrived at the still-under-construction Paris Observatory as its new director. He quickly talked Louis XIV’s minister of finance into buying a 34-foot Campani refractor for the observatory, and on Oct. 25, 1671, used that refractor to discover Saturn’s moon Iapetus. The second saturnian moon discovered, after Christaan Huygens’ 1655Continue reading "Oct. 25, 1671: Iapetus is discovered"

The post Oct. 25, 1671: Iapetus is discovered appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Oct. 24, 1601: The death of Tycho Brahe

Elisa Neckar — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 13:00:00 +0000

In Astronomy’s 2022 list of the 20 greatest astronomers of all time, Associate Editor Michael Bakich ranked Tycho Brahe No. 2, second only to Galileo, noting: “Danish astronomer Tyge (Tycho) Ottesen Brahe was history’s greatest pre-telescopic observer.” Born Dec. 14, 1546, Tycho was raised by an uncle who funded his education at the University ofContinue reading "Oct. 24, 1601: The death of Tycho Brahe"

The post Oct. 24, 1601: The death of Tycho Brahe appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Oct. 23, 1893: Birth of Ernest Opik

Elisa Neckar — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Born Oct. 23, 1893, in Estonia, Ernest Opik was based at the Astronomical Observatory in Tartu from 1921-1944. It was there in the 1920s that he began to research meteors and comets, their frequencies, and their speeds. In 1932, he proposed a reservoir of long-period comets that formed a large cloud, orbiting the Sun atContinue reading "Oct. 23, 1893: Birth of Ernest Opik"

The post Oct. 23, 1893: Birth of Ernest Opik appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.