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Arthur Stanley Eddington (28 December 1882 – 22 November 1944) was a British astronomer, physicist, and mathematician, best known for his work on the theory of relativity and stellar structure. He provided one of the first experimental confirmations of Einstein’s general theory of relativity during the 1919 solar eclipse expedition, where he observed the bending of starlight by the Sun’s gravity. Eddington also developed the Eddington limit, defining the balance between radiation pressure and gravitational pull in stars, and authored influential works such as The Internal Constitution of the Stars. A Quaker by faith, he was an advocate of international scientific cooperation, even during wartime, and played a major role in popularizing complex scientific concepts for the public.

Aymar Eugene de La Baume Pluvinel (1860–1938) was a French astronomer noted for his pioneering work in astrophotography and spectroheliography. Educated at the École Polytechnique, he became a central figure in France’s late 19th- and early 20th-century astronomical expeditions, particularly those aimed at observing total solar eclipses. Pluvinel made significant advances in photographing the solar corona and prominences, and he collaborated with fellow astronomers to improve spectrographic techniques for studying the Sun’s atmosphere. He was actively involved in the French eclipse expeditions to the Caribbean, Spain, and North Africa, producing some of the earliest high-quality images of solar phenomena.

Philip Herbert Cowell (1870–1949) was a British astronomer and mathematician noted for his precision work in celestial mechanics, particularly the computation of planetary and cometary orbits. Educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, he joined the Royal Greenwich Observatory in 1896, where he eventually became Chief Assistant. Cowell is best known for his detailed calculations of Halley’s Comet’s orbit, working with Andrew Claude de la Cherois Crommelin to successfully predict its 1910 return with unprecedented accuracy. His work extended to lunar theory, the motions of minor planets, and improvements in astronomical constants. A fellow of the Royal Society, Cowell’s meticulous computational methods significantly advanced the accuracy of astronomical ephemerides in the early 20th century.

William Wallace Campbell (April 11, 1862 – June 14, 1938) was an American astronomer renowned for his spectroscopic studies of stars and for leading eclipse expeditions. He served as the director of the Lick Observatory from 1901 to 1930, where he advanced the use of spectroscopy to measure stellar radial velocities, contributing to the understanding of stellar motions and binary systems. Campbell also directed several important solar eclipse expeditions, including the 1922 observation in Australia that provided strong confirmation of Einstein’s general theory of relativity. Later, he became president of the University of California (1923–1930) and of the International Astronomical Union (1925–1935).

Robert Hanbury Brown (31 August 1916 – 16 January 2002) was a British physicist and radio astronomer best known for his pioneering work in interferometry. Initially contributing to radar development during World War II, he later became a key figure in post-war radio astronomy. Hanbury Brown developed the intensity interferometer, a novel technique for measuring stellar diameters, which he implemented at the University of Sydney’s Narrabri Observatory in Australia. His work significantly advanced observational astrophysics, and he was also noted for his engaging science writing and public outreach.