Harlow Shapley

(1885-1972)

American astronomer Harlow Shapley did not think at all of scientific activity. After leaving school, has worked some time the newspaper reporter, he has decided to act on branch of journalism at university of state Missouri in the city of Columbia.

Having arrived there, Shapley has has found out, that the branch will be open only in one year. He has opened the list of the rates read at that time at university, has come across a word "astronomy", and it has solved business. So subsequently in memoirs Shapley has told about a choice him trades.

In 1910 Harlow Shapley, has ended university, has received a degree of the bachelor and has left for Princeton where started to be engaged in studying of darkened variable stars. He has developed some new ideas about definition of distances up to darkened variables by studying their color and a spectrum.

In 1914 - 1921 Harlow Shapley worked in observatory of Mount-Willson.

Here he has offered a method of definition of distances up to the removed star systems and congestions which is based on supervision of variable stars included in them - cefeides. In the Mount-Willson observatory Harlow Shapley was engaged also in research of spherical congestions and spiral fogs. In 1921 Shapley became director of the Harward observatory. Great value his works in the field of research of anagalactic star systems (have studying of Magellan Clouds, structural features and distributions in space of other galaxies).

Up to the end of life Harlow Shapley was engaged not only scientific, but also public work: supervised over one of the largest in the USA the Harward observatory, promoted the invitation of foreign scientists in the USA, participated in the organization of UNESCO (the United Nations Organization on questions of education, a science and culture).

Both as the scientist and as organizer Harlow Shapley has brought in the large contribution to development of astronomy. His works have considerably expanded our representations about the universe, our Galaxy and a place in it of Solar system.