Simon Newcomb

Simon Newcomb (1835–1909) was a Canadian-born American astronomer and mathematician whose work helped set standards for precision in celestial mechanics. After emigrating to the United States, he became associated with the U.S. Naval Observatory and later taught at Johns Hopkins University. Newcomb produced influential calculations and tables for planetary motion and the Moon, contributing to improved astronomical ephemerides and navigation. He also wrote widely beyond astronomy, publishing on mathematics, probability, and the application of quantitative methods to social questions. His essays and books addressed economics and statistics as well as scientific method, making him a prominent public intellectual of his era.