There are many types of astronomers from the stargazer who merely watches the heavens to the abstract mathematician who merely works at his desk; it has consequently been necessary in the case of some lives to adopt a very different treatment from that which seemed suitable for others.
Great Astronomers is a book by Irish astronomer Robert Stawell Ball. This book include: Ptolemy Copernicus Tycho Brahe Galileo Kepler Isaac Newton Flamsteed Halley Bradley William Herschel Laplace Brinkley John Herschel The Earl Of Rosse Airy Hamilton Le Verrier and Adams.

"Of all the natural sciences there is not one which offers such sublime objects to the attention of the inquirer as does the science of astronomy. From the earliest ages the study of the stars has exercised the same fascination as it possesses at the present day. Among the most primitive peoples the movements of the sun the moon and the stars commanded attention from their supposed influence on human affairs. The practical utilities of astronomy were also obvious in primeval times. Maxims of extreme antiquity show how the avocations of the husbandman are to be guided by the movements of the heavenly bodies."

Robert Stawell Ball