Astronomer Guillermo Haro was born on March 21, 1913 and died on April 26, 1988, after a long and successful career in astronomy. It is his 105th birthday. This Mexican Astronomer made scientific discoveries that changed how we understood the stars.
He did not always know he wanted to be an astronomer. He studied philosophy at the National Autonomous University of Mexico and intended to seek a law degree. That all changed when he took a job with Luis Enrique Erro at the Observatorio Astrofiscio de Tonantzintla as his assistant in 1943. His life took a plot twist and he never looked back.
"Haro made numerous scientific contributions, including discovering the Herbig-Haro objects. These are small, bright nebula that form near regions where stars recently formed.Haro also discovered flare stars in the Orion constellation, and in stellar aggregates of different ages. Haro also listed 8,746 blue stars in the direction of the north galactic pole, 50 of which turned out to be quasars (which actually had not been discovered yet.) In 1956 he listed 44 blue galaxies, and discovered T Tauri stars, a supernova, more than 10 novae, and a comet." -Guillermo Haro: Five Fast Facts You Need To Know
Haro spent time at Harvard University, working with astronomers there, but spent most of his career in Mexico. He was the first person elected to the Royal Astronomical Society from Mexico. They say he was quite the personality, too.
Don't we all love stargazing? It is a thing of beauty to lean your head back and look up. It is God's firework show, available every night that the clouds or clear and city lights don't interfere. In that gazing up position, we can take a deep breath and inhale the wonders of the universe and the sovereign hand that holds it in place. What an awesome wonder it is!
It is a perfect day for one of my favorite verses from Isaiah:
Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name. Because of his great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing. -Isaiah 40:26
We've been passing out this verse with glow in the dark stars for birthdays for our K-2nd grade children at church. We want to write on their hearts the the power of our God and his attention to the smallest details. Who would miss one star? He would.
Wherever we are and no matter how lost we may sometimes feel... we are not missing. We need only look up. The stars are a reminder of his love. Astronomers help us discover how magnificent the tapestry of the stars works... and wows.
Not a one is missing.
Today, I am grateful for astronomers.
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