Jan Oort

astronomy · galaxy · Dutch scientist · 20th century

Galaxy mapper. Jan Oort studied the Milky Way and made huge discoveries about how our galaxy is shaped and moves through space. His work helped us understand that we live in a spiral galaxy.

Radio astronomy pioneer. Oort was one of the first astronomers to use radio waves to study the universe instead of just looking through telescopes. This opened up a whole new way to see things in space that we couldn't see with light alone.

Cloud discovery. Scientists discovered a huge spherical cloud of icy objects surrounding our solar system, and it's now called the Oort Cloud in his honor. This cloud is thought to be the source of long-period comets.

Century's explorer. The New York Times called him one of the century's foremost explorers of the universe, and Life magazine listed him among the 100 most famous living people in 1955.

Dutch astronomy hero. Oort put the Netherlands in the forefront of postwar astronomy, making his small country a major center for astronomical research and discovery.