Birthday: February 14, 1898
Biography: A Swiss astronomer who made significant contributions to the understanding of supernovae and dark matter.
Accomplishments:
Dark Matter (1933): Proposed the existence of dark matter based on observations of galaxy clusters.
Supernovae Classification (1934): Co-classified supernovae and suggested they create neutron stars.
Cosmic Rays: Researched the origin and impact of cosmic rays.
Morphological Analysis: Developed a method for solving scientific problems through systematic exploration.
Zwicky Catalogue of Galaxies (1961): Compiled extensive catalogs of galaxies and galaxy clusters.
Zwicky observed that the visible mass of galaxy clusters was insufficient to account for their gravitational effects, leading him to propose the existence of dark matter, an unseen substance that makes up most of the universe’s mass.
With Walter Baade, Zwicky classified supernovae into two types based on their properties and proposed that they result in neutron stars, which are extremely dense remnants of supernovae.
Zwicky studied cosmic rays, high-energy particles from space, contributing to the understanding of their origins and impact on Earth.
Zwicky developed this systematic method for exploring all possible solutions to complex scientific problems, which has been applied in various fields.
He compiled comprehensive catalogs of galaxies and galaxy clusters, providing valuable data for astronomical research.