| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
He studied under Henry Norris Russell at Princeton University and used the period-luminosity relation for Cepheid variable stars (discovered by Henrietta Swan Leavitt) to determine distances to globular clusters. He was the first to realize that the Milky Way Galaxy was much larger than previously believed.
He participated in the "Great Debate" with Heber D. Curtis on the nature of nebulas and galaxies and the size of the universe. The debate took place on April 26, 1920. Shapley argued against the theory that the Sun was at the center of the galaxy, and promoted the idea that globular clusters and spiral nebulae are within the Milky Way. He was incorrect about the latter point, but correct about the former.
At the time of the debate, Shapley was working at the Mount Wilson ObservatoryThe Mount Wilson Observatory is an astronomical observatory. It is located on Mount Wilson, a 5715' peak in the San Gabriel mountains near Pasadena, California, to the east of Los Angeles. It was first directed by George Ellery Hale, who brought the 40-in. After the debate, however, he was hired to replace the recently deceased Edward Charles PickeringEdward Charles Pickering ( July 19 1846 February 3 1919) was an American astronomer and physicist, brother of William Henry Pickering. Along with Carl Vogel, Pickering discovered the first spectroscopic binary stars. He wrote Elements of Physical Manipula as director of the Harvard College ObservatoryThe Harvard College Observatory (or HCO) is an institution managing a complex of buildings and multiple instruments used for astronomical research by the Department of Astronomy of Harvard. It is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was founded in 183.
He served as director of the HCO from 1921Events January 2 The first religious radio broadcast ( KDKA AM in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) January 2 Spanish liner Santa Isabel sinks off Villa Garcia 244 dead January 2 DeYoung Museum in Golden Gate Park San Francisco opens. January 20 Republic of Turke to 1952Summary of notable events in 1952 . Events January events January 8 West Germany has 8 million refugees inside its borders. January 24 Sudden heavy snowfall in Algeria. January 24 Vincent Massey sworn in as first Canada-born Governor-General of Canada.. During this time, he hired Cecilia Payne-GaposchkinCecilia Payne-Gaposchkin ( May 10 1900 December 7 1979) was a British-American astronomer. She was born Cecilia Payne in England and studied botany, physics and chemistry at Cambridge University. She left England for the United States in 1922. In 1925, sh, who became the first person to earn a doctorate at Harvard UniversityHarvard University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA and a member of the Ivy League. It was founded on September 8, 1636 by a vote of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, making it the oldest post-secondary s in the field of astronomyAstronomy which etymologically means " law of the stars," (from Greek: + nomos) is a science involving the observation and explanation of events occurring outside Earth and its atmosphere. It studies the origins, evolution, physical and chemical propertie.
In the 1940's, Shapley helped found government funded scientific associations, including the National Science Foundation. He is also responsible for putting the "S" in UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).
Incidentally, Shapley held a life long interest in myrmecology, the study of ants.