Owen Gingerich is a Senior Astronomer Emeritus at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and Research Professor of Astronomy and of the History of Science at Harvard University. 1992-93 he chaired Harvard’s History of Science Department. Professor Gingerich’s research interests have ranged from the recomputation of an ancient Babylonian mathematical table to the interpretation of stellar spectra.
In the past three decades Professor Gingerich has become a leading authority on Johannes Keplar and on Nicholas Copernicus. His annotated census of 16th century copies of De revolutionibus by Copernicus has now been published as a monograph. Besides over 500 technical or educational articles and reviews, Professor Gingerich has written more popularly on astronomy and two anthologies of his essays have appeared. Professor Gingerich has been Vice President of the American Philosophical Society, he has served as chairman of the US National Committee of the International Astronomical Union and he has been a councillor of the American Astronomical Society. He has been the recipient of many awards, including the AAS Doggett prize for his contributions to the history of astronomy, the Polish Order of Merit and an asteroid has been named in his honour.
