Famous British Astronomers

Astronomy in Britain goes back to the prehistoric times. British astronomers were engaged in observation and theory since times immemorial and through their ground-breaking and revolutionary research made some outstanding discoveries about the world that was beyond human comprehension for a long time. It were the English who discovered and developed new methods, theories, established facts and measured astronomic distances. William Herschel was a British astronomer of the 18th century who discovered Uranus and its two brightest moos, Titania and Oberon. His sister Caroline Herschel became the first woman astronomer to discover a comet. In her life, she discovered numerous comets. Helium gas owes its existence to Englishman Sir Joseph Lockyer who discovered its presence in the solar spectrum. British astronomer Antony Hewish was awarded Nobel Prize for his research group that discovered the first pulsar. Other popular British astronomers include Arthur S. Eddington, Sir Fred Hoyle, E Margaret Burbridge, Sir Roger Penrose and so on. Their invaluable work on astronomy has helped us better understand the universe, our solar system, sun, moon and of course our planet earth. Check this segment to find out in detail about the life, profile and works of famous British astronomers.