"We are like dwarfs sitting on the shoulders of giants. We see more, and things that are more distant, than they did, not because our sight is superior or because we are taller than they, but because they raise us up, and by their great stature add to ours." John of Salisbury (Metalogicon)
Galileo Galilei
He was Italian! Galileo was a ground breaking astronomer, physicist, mathematician, philosopher and inventor. Among his inventions were telescopes, a compass and a thermometer. Discovered the 4 largest moons of Jupiter: Io, Callisto, Europa and Ganymede. He refuted the earth-centered model of the universe and spent the last years of his life under arrest in his home for going against the church. Galileo also refused to believe Kepler’s theory that the moon caused the tides, instead believing it was due to the nature of the Earth’s rotation (helping prove that even the smartest people can make mistakes). Read more about Galileo here.
Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727)
He studied math & physics! Throughout his life Newton researched into a wide range of subjects including mathematics, optics, astronomy and alchemy. He had a notoriously bad temper & was very cranky, which makes me respect him!
The Theory of Gravity--he came up with it. No, he did not invent gravity. One of Newton's most famous quotes was the paraphrase of the above quote: "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." After his death, English poet Alexander Pope wrote the following epitaph for Newton: Nature and nature's laws lay hid in night; God said "Let Newton be" and all was light. Read more about Newton here.
Carl Sagan (1934-1996)
Astronomer, astrophysicist, writer, smart, funny, supernerd. I miss him every day.
He brought science to the regular people like us with amazing TV program Cosmos in the extraordinary 1980's, which is when I grew up. He wrote over 600 papers and 20 books about science topics. He was a consultant and adviser to NASA since the 1950's, briefed the Apollo astronauts before their flights to the Moon, and was an experimenter / contributor to the Mariner, Viking, Voyager, and Galileoexpeditions to the planets. He helped solve the mysteries of the high temperatures of Venus (answer: massive greenhouse effect), the seasonal changes on Mars (answer: windblown dust), and the reddish haze of Titan (answer: complex organic molecules). His widow Ann Druyan continues his work in his footsteps and is a great public speaker. Read more about Carl Sagan here.
Neil deGrasse Tyson (1958-present)
Astrophysicist extraordinaire space travel enthusiast; well-spoken, writer, super hip and loves science. He has a great talent for presenting complex concepts in a clear and accessible manner. Runs the Hayden Planetarium at the Museum of Natural History where he got his first taste of star-gazing at age nine. This dude is on TV all the time. He's also remaking Cosmos with new material in the footsteps of Carl Sagan. Read more about Neil DeGrasse Tyson here.
