On this day in 1900 - April 28th - Dutch astronomer Jan Oort was born.

Oort made major contributions to the understanding of the Milky Way and was a pioneer in radio astronomy. He realized that the orbits of comets “implied there was a lot more solar system than the region occupied by the planets.” The Oort cloud of comets that surrounds the Solar System was named for him.


Mona Evans
For news, activities, pictures and more, sign up to the Astronomy Newsletter!

http://www.bellaonline.com/newsletter/astronomy