Harlow Shapley
#214,159 Most Popular
About
Award-winning astronomer remembered for correctly estimating the size of the Milky Way Galaxy. He also originated the concept of "habitable zones," which describes areas in space where liquid water can be supported.
Before Fame
He was a Journalism student at the University of Missouri before switching his focus to Astronomy.
Trivia
The "Shapley" crater on Earth's moon is named in his honor.
Family Life
He married Martha Betz in 1914. One of his sons is Nobel Prize-winning economist Lloyd Shapley.
Associated With
He led a public campaign against what he perceived as the pseudoscience of Russian psychiatrist Immanuel Velikovsky.
