Harlow Shapley

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.