Harlow Shapley

Harlow Shapley
Harlow Shapley
Born	November 2, 1885; Nashville, Missouri, U.S.
Died	October 20, 1972 (aged 86); Boulder, Colorado, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Missouri, Princeton University
Known for	Determining correct position of Sun within Milky Way Galaxy; head of Harvard College Observatory (1921–1952)
Children	5, including Mildred Shapley Matthews (b. 1915); Willis Shapley (b. 1917); Lloyd Shapley (b. 1923);
Awards	Henry Draper Medal (1926); Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society (1934); Rittenhouse Medal (1935); Bruce Medal (1939);
	Scientific career
Fields	Astronomy
Doctoral advisor	Henry Norris Russell
Doctoral students	Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, Carl Seyfert
Other notable students	Georges Lemaître

Harlow Shapley (November 2, 1885 – October 20, 1972) was an American scientist, head of the Harvard College Observatory (1921–1952), and political activist during the latter New Deal and Fair Deal.

Shapley used Cepheid variable stars to estimate the size of the Milky Way Galaxy and the Sun's position within it. In 1953 he proposed his "liquid water belt" theory, now known as the concept of a habitable zone.

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