Submitted by:

Laarni M. Mata
(11-HUMSS 3)
 Henrietta Swann Leavitt (1868–1921) was one of several women
working as a human "computer" at Harvard College, identifying images
of variable stars on photographic plates.
She discovered that the brightness of a special flashing star known
as a Cepheid variable was related to how often it pulsed. This
relationship allowed astronomers to calculate the distances of stars and
galaxies, the size of the Milky Way, and the expansion of the universe.

Submitted by:
Rose M. Ramirez
(11-HUMSS 3)
 Albert Einstein sticks out his tongue to give the "Razz" in this
photo from May 5, 1958 in Princeton, New Jersey. (Image credit:
Bettmann/Contributor/ Getty Images)
In the early 20th century, German physicist Albert Einstein (1879–
1955) became one of the most famous scientists ever after proposing a
new way of looking at the universe that went beyond current
understanding. Einstein suggested that the laws of physics are the same
throughout the universe, that the speed of light in a vacuum is constant,
and that space and time are linked in an entity known as space-time,
which is distorted by gravity.
In a lecture given in 1966(opens in new tab), fellow scientist
Robert Oppenheimer said, "Einstein was a physicist, a natural
philosopher, the greatest of our time."
Submitted by:
Cherry M. Gomez
(11-HUMSS 3)
 Charles MessierCharles Messier, aged 40. (Image credit: Ansiaux)
French astronomer Charles Messier (1730–1817) composed a
database of objects known at the time as "nebulae," which included 103
objects at its final publication, though additional objects were added
based on his personal notes. Many of these objects are often listed with
their catalog name, such as the Andromeda Galaxy, known as M31.
Messier also discovered 13 comets over the course of his lifetime.
Born in France, Messier developed an interest in astronomy at an
early age, having witnessed a 6-tailed comet at age 14 in 1744. Further
he viewed an annular solar eclipse in 1748.
As a young comet hunter, he began to discover and note nebulas,
as these frequently were confused for comets. Thus began his famous
catalog of deep-sky objects, such as star clusters and galaxies. The first
version in 1771 covered 45 objects, eventually expanded by Messier to
103 objects (though there is a debate about M102). Later astronomers
filled out the catalog to a total of 110 objects. Today Messier's catalog is
still used widely, though because of his location in France, he only
included Northern Hemisphere sky objects.