Alan Hirshfeld
Sasha Helper
Alan Hirshfeld (September 29, 1951 – October 4, 2026) was Professor of Physics at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, where he served as the longtime director of the campus observatory, later dedicated in his honor as the Hirshfeld-Dowd Observatory. A regular book reviewer for the Wall Street Journal and contributor to the American Journal of Physics, Sky & Telescope, BBC History Magazine, and American Scientist, he was also the author of many books, including Starlight Detectives: How Astronomers, Inventors, and Eccentrics Discovered the Modern Universe, which was named a “Best Book of the Year” by NBC News, Scientific American, Nature, and Kirkus Reviews.
