Owen Gingerich
Professor Owen Gingerich was a US astronomer. He served at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and as Professor of Astronomy and History of Science at Harvard University. He held memberships with the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the International Academy of the History of Science. Gingerich published over 500 technical or educational articles and reviews, along with writing more popularly on astronomy and the history of astronomy in books, encyclopedias, and journals.
Gingerich taught at Harvard University until his retirement in 2000. He continues to be a widely recognized authority on the Renaisannce astronomers Johannes Kepler and Nicolaus Copernicus, and on the French astronomer Charles Messier.
Asteroid 2658: Gingerich, discovered on February 13, 1980, at the Harvard College Observatory, was named in his honor.
“Quite possibly, the purpose of the universe is to provide a congenial home for self-conscious creatures who can ask profound questions and who can probe the nature of the universe itself.”
“...it's appalling to remember that the entire Oxford University Library was sold for scrap in the mid-1500s. Nor was that situation unique to Oxford, as libraries were deconstructed throughout the land.”