Datasets:

juliensimon
/

astronomer-database

wikidata_id large_stringlengths 4 10	name large_stringlengths 5 68	birth_date large_stringlengths 10 10 ⌀	death_date large_stringlengths 10 10 ⌀	sex large_stringclasses 6 values	nationality large_stringclasses 268 values	employers large_stringlengths 3 342 ⌀	awards large_stringlengths 8 1.49k ⌀	fields_of_work large_stringlengths 3 298 ⌀	birth_year int64 1 2.01k ⌀
Q4540405	'Abd al-'Aziz al-Wafa'i	1408-01-01	1471-01-01	male	Egypt	null	null	null	1,408
Q3600370	A. David Andrews	1933-01-01	null	male	Ireland	Harvard University	null	null	1,933
Q504404	A. David Thackeray	1910-06-19	1978-02-21	male	United Kingdom	Radcliffe Observatory	null	astronomy; mathematics	1,910
Q112525156	A. G. Davis Philip	1929-01-01	2016-01-01	male	null	null	null	astronomy	1,929
Q4647779	A. G. Doroshkevich	1937-01-22	null	male	Russia	Lebedev Physical Institute	null	cosmology; astrophysics	1,937
Q7001884	A. G. Samuel	null	null	male	Argentina	null	null	null	null
Q15994374	A. Grace Cook	1887-02-18	1958-05-27	female	United Kingdom	null	null	null	1,887
Q125899103	A. J. Frost	null	null	female	null	European Southern Observatory	null	null	null
Q113544589	A. K. Romer	null	null	null	null	University of Sussex	null	null	null
Q19712719	A. Lokalov	null	null	male	null	null	null	null	null
Q114423028	A. Noriega-Crespo	null	null	null	null	null	null	null	null
Q106636358	A. Surjalal Sharma	null	null	null	null	Cornell University; Ruhr University Bochum; University of Maryland; Royal Institute of Technology; Institute for Plasma Research	null	null	null
Q102442785	Aage Sandqvist	1939-06-01	null	male	null	null	null	null	1,939
Q2291204	Aarne Arvonen	1897-08-04	2009-01-01	male	Finland	null	null	null	1,897
Q65264049	Aarne Paul	1959-01-01	null	male	Estonia	null	null	null	1,959
Q111975854	Aaron C. Boley	null	null	male	null	University of British Columbia	null	null	null
Q15626839	Aaron Nichols Skinner	1845-08-10	1918-08-14	male	United States	null	null	null	1,845
Q4662311	Aaron Parsons	1980-08-28	null	male	United States	University of California, Berkeley	Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers	null	1,980
Q59675246	Aaron Rizzuto	null	null	male	null	University of Texas at Austin	null	null	null
Q56550402	Aaron Robotham	null	null	male	null	University of St Andrews; University of Western Australia	Anne Green Prize	null	null
Q133408697	Aarti Nagarajan	null	null	female	null	null	null	null	null
Q88596974	Aarynn Carter	null	null	male	null	null	null	null	null
Q137112386	Aba Taratuta	1935-01-01	null	male	null	null	null	null	1,935
Q30526969	Abba Mari Halfon	null	null	male	null	null	null	null	null
Q4663651	Abba Mari ben Eligdor	null	null	male	null	null	null	null	null
Q305975	Abbas Ibn Firnas	0810-01-01	0887-01-01	male	null	null	null	physics	810
Q4054386	Abbas Wasim Efendi	1689-01-01	1760-01-01	male	Ottoman Empire	null	null	astronomy	1,689
Q4664587	Abd al-Rahman al-Fasi	1631-01-01	1685-01-01	male	Saadi dynasty	null	null	null	1,631
Q4664586	Abd al-Rahman al-Jadiri	1375-01-01	1416-01-01	male	null	null	null	null	1,375
Q11075	Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi	0903-12-12	0986-05-30	male	Buyid dynasty	null	null	astronomy; mathematics; navigation; surveying	903
Q12222908	Abd as-Salam ibn Muhammad al-Alami	1830-01-01	1895-01-01	male	Morocco	null	null	null	1,830
Q124607035	Abdanour Irbah	null	null	male	null	null	null	null	null
Q131937467	Abdelmjid Benhida	1963-01-01	null	male	Morocco	Cadi Ayyad University; Oukaïmden Observatory	null	null	1,963
Q308164	Abdias Trew	1597-07-29	1669-04-12	male	Germany	null	null	null	1,597
Q13059434	Abdul Jabbar	1915-01-01	1993-07-20	male	Bangladesh	null	Ekushey Padak	null	1,915
Q20411896	Abdul Rahim Badr	1920-01-01	1994-01-01	male	Jordan	null	null	null	1,920
Q6085074	Abdullah Kızılırmak	1925-02-16	1983-12-04	male	Turkey	null	null	null	1,925
Q61076777	Abdülkadir Topkaç	1954-01-01	2021-02-21	male	Turkey	null	null	null	1,954
Q1150151	Abe no Seimei	0921-03-03	1005-11-06	male	Japan	shukeiryō; Onmyō-ryō	null	null	921
Q100646151	Abel Souchon	1841-07-27	1906-01-03	male	France	null	null	null	1,841
Q2654469	Abhas Mitra	1955-06-03	null	male	India	Homi Bhabha National Institute	null	null	1,955
Q64867339	Abhirup Datta	null	null	male	null	University of Colorado Boulder; Indian Institute of Technology Indore	null	null	null
Q61813	Abraham Gotthelf Kästner	1719-09-27	1800-06-20	male	Holy Roman Empire	University of Göttingen; Leipzig University	Fellow of the Royal Society	mathematics	1,719
Q84681219	Abraham Mahtessian	1954-03-13	null	male	Armenia	null	null	null	1,954
Q6049455	Abraham Pihl	1756-10-03	1821-05-20	male	Norway	null	Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog	null	1,756
Q330614	Abraham Sharp	1653-01-01	1742-07-18	male	Kingdom of Great Britain	Royal Observatory; HMNB Portsmouth	null	null	1,653
Q330740	Abraham Zacuto	1450-08-21	1515-01-01	male	Crown of Castile	University of Salamanca	null	astronomy; Talmud; Halakha; writer	1,450
Q31439	Abraham bar Hiyya	1070-01-01	1136-01-01	male	null	null	null	astronomy; mathematics; Judaism; Jewish philosophy; translation from Arabic	1,070
Q200397	Abraham de Moivre	1667-05-26	1754-11-27	male	France	null	null	astronomy; mathematics; statistics; probability theory	1,667
Q270670	Abraham ibn Ezra	1092-01-01	1167-01-30	male	null	null	null	poetry; Talmud; Halakha	1,092
Q4669325	Abrahão de Moraes	1917-11-17	1970-12-11	male	Brazil	University of São Paulo	null	null	1,917
Q9561229	Abraão Aben Zarsal	null	null	male	null	null	null	null	null
Q3603837	Abu 'Ali al-Khaiyat	0770-01-01	0835-01-01	male	Abbasid Caliphate	null	null	astrology	770
Q30595934	Abu Ahmad Monajjem	0855-01-01	0912-01-01	male	null	null	null	null	855
Q3603835	Abu Ali al-Hasan al-Murrakushi	null	1262-01-01	male	Morocco	null	null	null	null
Q28655376	Abu Ishaq al-Kubunani	null	1481-01-01	male	null	null	null	null	null
Q4055160	Abu Ja'far ibn Habash	null	null	male	null	null	null	null	null
Q11373	Abu Ma'shar al-Balkhi	0787-08-14	0886-01-01	male	Abbasid Caliphate	null	null	astronomy; mathematics; astrology	787
Q4670275	Abu Muqri Mohammed al-Battiwi	null	null	male	null	null	null	null	null
Q2383120	Abu Nasr Mansur	0960-01-01	1036-01-01	male	Ghaznavid Empire	null	null	astronomy; mathematics	960
Q2822092	Abu Sahl 'Isa ibn Yahya al-Masihi	0970-01-01	1010-01-01	male	Abbasid Caliphate	null	null	astronomy; poetry; philosophy; medicine	970
Q335313	Abu Sahl al-Quhi	0940-01-01	1000-01-01	male	null	Baghdad	null	astronomy; mathematics	940
Q2822093	Abu Said Gorgani	0850-01-01	0845-01-01	male	null	null	null	null	850
Q120758345	Abu Uthman Sa'id ibn Ahmad ibn Abd Rabbih	null	null	male	null	null	null	null	null
Q4670408	Abu Yahya Ibn al-Batriq	0730-01-01	0815-01-01	male	Abbasid Caliphate	null	null	null	730
Q1186444	Abu al-Salt	1068-01-01	1134-10-30	male	null	null	null	astronomy	1,068
Q298439	Abu al-Wafa Buzjani	0940-06-15	0998-07-20	male	null	null	null	astronomy; mathematics; trigonometry; arithmetic	940
Q4668243	Abu'l-Fadl Harawi	null	null	male	Iran	null	null	null	null
Q122722594	Abu'l-Ghana'im Muslim ibn Mahmud al-Shayzari	null	null	male	null	null	null	null	null
Q335123	Abu-Mahmud Khojandi	0940-01-01	1000-01-01	male	Buyid dynasty	Buyid dynasty	null	astronomy; mathematics	940
Q131580195	Abubakr Ibrahim	null	null	male	Sudan	null	null	null	null
Q311462	Abulfeda	1273-11-01	1331-11-04	male	null	null	null	geography; Islamic philosophy; history of Islam	1,273
Q5655551	Abú Hasán Alí	null	1399-01-01	male	Morocco	null	null	null	null
Q11133	Abū Ishāq Ibrāhīm al-Zarqālī	1027-01-01	1100-01-01	male	al-Andalus	null	null	astronomy; astrolabe	1,027
Q5984305	Abū Ja'far Aḥmad ibn al‐Kammād	null	1195-01-01	male	null	null	null	null	null
Q2991000	Abū Ja'far al-Khāzin	0900-01-01	0971-01-01	male	null	null	null	astronomy; mathematics	900
Q970628	Abū Muhammad al-Hasan al-Hamdānī	0893-05-10	0945-01-01	male	null	null	null	null	893
Q28716319	Abū al-ʿAnbas al-Ṣaymarī	0828-01-01	0889-01-01	male	null	null	null	null	828
Q4670817	Abū al‐ʿUqūl	null	null	male	null	null	null	null	null
Q293520	Abū Ḥanīfa Dīnawarī	0828-01-01	0895-01-01	male	Abbasid Caliphate	null	null	botany; geography; philology	828
Q137012077	Abū-Maslama Muḥammad Ibn-Ibrāhīm al- Maǧrīṭī	null	null	male	null	null	null	null	null
Q2823095	Achille Pierre Dionis du Séjour	1734-01-11	1794-08-22	male	France	null	null	null	1,734
Q2823109	Achille Tondu	1760-04-18	1787-01-01	male	France	null	null	null	1,760
Q340320	Achilles Tatius	null	null	male	Ancient Rome	null	null	null	null
Q16874275	Achim Schwenk	2000-01-01	null	male	Germany	Technical University of Darmstadt	Fellow of the American Physical Society	nuclear physics	2,000
Q2046105	Achyuta Pisharati	1550-01-01	1621-01-01	male	India	null	null	null	1,550
Q342138	Acoreus	-0100-01-0	-0100-01-0	male	null	null	null	null	null
Q41554978	Ada Margaret Brayton	null	null	female	United States	null	null	null	null
Q29968326	Adalat Atai	1951-08-15	2024-08-04	male	Azerbaijan	Shamakhy Astrophysical Observatory	null	null	1,951
Q66428	Adalbert Krueger	1832-12-09	1896-04-21	male	Kingdom of Prussia	University of Bonn; Kiel University	null	astronomy	1,832
Q100905509	Adalbert Pauldrach	1958-08-31	2020-04-25	male	Germany	null	null	null	1,958
Q347620	Adalbert Prey	1873-10-16	1949-12-22	male	Austria	Charles University; University of Vienna; University of Innsbruck	null	null	1,873
Q61197915	Adalbert von Kunesch	1817-11-29	1895-08-27	male	null	null	null	null	1,817
Q13368220	Adam Abrahám	1901-01-19	1986-06-12	male	Czechoslovakia	null	null	null	1,901
Q57076757	Adam Amara	null	null	male	null	University of Hong Kong; CEA Saclay; University of Portsmouth	null	null	null
Q123734748	Adam B. Smith	null	null	male	null	Gemini Observatory	null	null	null
Q348779	Adam Bittner	1777-10-19	1844-09-03	male	Germany	Charles University	null	astronomy; mathematics	1,777
Q3604971	Adam Block	1973-01-01	null	male	United States	null	null	null	1,973
Q114339548	Adam D. Hincks	null	null	male	Canada	University of Toronto; University of British Columbia	null	physical cosmology	null
Q55903596	Adam Ehregott Schön	1725-11-25	1805-07-11	male	null	null	null	null	1,725

End of preview. Expand in Data Studio

Astronomer Database

Blue Marble — high-definition image of Earth from space

Credit: NASA/GSFC/Suomi NPP

Part of a dataset collection on Hugging Face.

Dataset description

A comprehensive database of astronomers throughout history, sourced from Wikidata.

From ancient stargazers to modern astrophysicists, this dataset captures the lives and work of astronomers across the ages. It spans from historical figures like Galileo Galilei and Johannes Kepler to contemporary researchers studying gravitational waves, exoplanets, and the large-scale structure of the universe.

The dataset includes birth/death dates, sex, nationality, employer history (universities, observatories, research institutions), awards received (Nobel Prize, etc.), and fields of work (cosmology, planetary science, stellar physics, etc.). This enables historical analysis of the astronomy profession, diversity-in-STEM research, and bibliometric studies of scientific communities.

Sourced from Wikidata's structured knowledge base (property P106=Q11063 for occupation: astronomer), which is maintained by the Wikipedia/Wikidata community and updated continuously.

This dataset is suitable for tabular classification tasks.

Schema

Column	Type	Description	Sample	Null %
`wikidata_id`	str	Wikidata entity ID (e.g. 'Q935' for Galileo Galilei); resolves to https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q935 — links to full biographical and bibliographic data including publications, awards, and institutional affiliations	Q4540405	0.0%
`name`	string	Full name in English as recorded in Wikidata (Latin transliteration for non-Latin scripts)	'Abd al-'Aziz al-Wafa'i	0.0%
`birth_date`	str	Date of birth in ISO 8601 format (YYYY-MM-DD); null for ancient or medieval astronomers whose birth year is uncertain, and occasionally for modern astronomers with private records	1408-01-01	23.3%
`death_date`	str	Date of death in ISO 8601 format (YYYY-MM-DD); null for living astronomers	1471-01-01	49.1%
`sex`	string	Recorded biological sex; values: 'male', 'female'; null if not recorded in Wikidata	male	4.6%
`nationality`	string	Country of primary professional affiliation or citizenship (e.g. 'United States', 'Germany'); uses full English country name; may differ from country of birth	Egypt	33.7%
`employers`	string	Universities, observatories, and research institutes where the astronomer has worked, semicolon-separated (e.g. 'Harvard University; Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory'); null if no employer is recorded in Wikidata	Harvard University	54.5%
`awards`	string	Honours and prizes received, semicolon-separated (e.g. 'Nobel Prize in Physics; Kavli Prize'); null if no awards are recorded in Wikidata	Presidential Early Career Award for S...	79.0%
`fields_of_work`	string	Primary research specializations, semicolon-separated (e.g. 'astrophysics; cosmology; stellar astronomy'); drawn from Wikidata property P101; null if not categorized	astronomy; mathematics	74.1%
`birth_year`	Int64	Integer year extracted from birth_date; enables era-based filtering (e.g. pre-telescopic vs. modern) when full date is unavailable; null only if birth date is entirely unknown	1408	24.1%

Quick stats

11,755 astronomers from 268 countries
9,789 male, 1,415 female
3,043 with recorded fields of work
2,473 with recorded awards
Top nationalities: United States (1,565), Germany (565), France (556), United Kingdom (362), Italy (280)

Usage

from datasets import load_dataset

ds = load_dataset("juliensimon/astronomer-database", split="train")
df = ds.to_pandas()

from datasets import load_dataset

ds = load_dataset("juliensimon/astronomer-database", split="train")
df = ds.to_pandas()

# Astronomers by nationality
print(df["nationality"].value_counts().head(10))

# Female astronomers
female = df[df["sex"] == "female"]
print(f"{len(female):,} female astronomers")

# Astronomers by field
cosmologists = df[df["fields_of_work"].str.contains("cosmology", case=False, na=False)]
print(f"{len(cosmologists):,} cosmologists")

# Award winners
nobel = df[df["awards"].str.contains("Nobel", na=False)]
print(f"{len(nobel):,} Nobel Prize recipients")

# Era distribution
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
df.dropna(subset=["birth_year"]).hist("birth_year", bins=50)
plt.xlabel("Birth Year")
plt.ylabel("Count")
plt.title("Astronomers by Birth Year")
plt.show()

Data source

https://www.wikidata.org/

Related datasets

If you find this dataset useful, please consider giving it a like on Hugging Face. It helps others discover it.

About the author

Created by Julien Simon — AI Operating Partner at Fortino Capital. Part of the Space Datasets collection.

Citation

@dataset{astronomer_database,
  title = {Astronomer Database},
  author = {juliensimon},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://huggingface.co/datasets/juliensimon/astronomer-database},
  publisher = {Hugging Face}
}