Harlow Shapley

Shapley, Harlow (1885–1972), U.S. astronomer whose work on pulsating stars (Cepheid variables) and globular clusters established the position of the sun in the galaxy and the size of the Milky Way. Shapley discovered 2 star systems in distant galaxies and was director of the Harvard Observatory (1921–52). Shapley's written works include Star Clusters (1930), Galaxies (1943), and Cosmic Facts and the Human Response (1957).

See also: Astronomy.