SUNSET: 
Community Leaders: Notable Astronomers
George Carruthers: Telescope Maker and Lunar Pioneer
Astronomer and engineer George Carruthers (1939–2020) designed and built the first observatory on another world.
Community Leaders: Notable Astronomers
Giorgia Hofer, Nightscape Astrophotographer
An Italian accountant, captivated by the sky since childhood, learned astrophotography to bring the heavens home with her.
Community Leaders: Notable Astronomers
Dara Norman, Astronomer and Astronomy-Enabler
After delving into the connection between quasars and gravitational lensing, Dara Norman pivoted to paving the way for astronomers to do the work they love.
Community Leaders: Notable Astronomers
Gibor Basri: Brown Dwarf Pioneer
The astronomer’s stellar studies led to the first confirmed discovery of a “failed star” and played a critical role in getting the Kepler Space Telescope off the ground.
Community Leaders: Notable Astronomers
Benjamin Banneker: Self-taught Astronomer
The story of astronomer and polymath Benjamin Banneker (1731–1806) is one of dignity and ingenuity against the backdrop of slavery and racism.
Celebrating Astronomer Margaret Burbidge, 1919–2020
The astronomer who taught us we are all made of stardust has passed away after celebrating her 100th birthday on August 12, 2019.
Community Leaders: Notable Astronomers
Jocelyn Bell Burnell: Pulsar Pioneer
In 1967, astronomer Jocelyn Bell Burnell (1943–) discovered the first pulsars — cosmic lighthouses that now enable astrophysicists to probe extreme physics and test general relativity.
Stephen Hawking, 1942–2018
Stephen Hawking, renowned physicist, famed science communicator, and all-around inspiration, has passed away at the age of 76.
Community Leaders: Notable Astronomers
Annie Jump Cannon: Star Classifier
Astronomer Annie Jump Cannon (1863-1941) classified hundreds of thousands of stars and created the system we use to understand stars today.
Community Leaders: Notable Astronomers
Arthur B. C. Walker II: X-ray Astrophysicist
African American physicist, Arthur B.C. Walker Jr. (1936-2001), helped develop solar telescopes to image the Sun’s corona.
Community Leaders: Notable Astronomers
Vera Rubin: Dark Matter Detective
American astronomer Vera Rubin (1928 - ) measured how fast galaxies rotate, delivering decisive evidence for the existence of dark matter.
