The Western Astronomers' Song
 
      written for the 100th anniversary meeting of the
       Astronomical Society of the Pacific (June 1989)
 
(to the tune of the Major General's song from the Pirates of Penzance)
     
		by Kevin Krisciunas
 
This list of names is incomplete, but mention these I oughta:
There's Abell, Abt and Adams, Aller, Angel, Arp, and Baade.
They all have reputations great and surely they did earn 'em,
Like Bok, and Barnard, Becklin, both the Burbidges, and Burnham,
And Campbell, Curtis, Keeler, Kraft, and Kuiper, Kron, and Aitken,
And Goldberg, Greenstein, Gunn, and Hale, Leuschner, Low, and Leighton.
Of course there's more who saw the light and showed us data golden
Like Herbig, Herring, Hiltner, Hubble, Humason, and Holden.
 
If you're inclined, with falling stars, to often be a wisher,
There's Wampler-Robinson, and Faber-Jackson, Tully-Fisher,
And go with those in winter clothes, await the twilight hour
With Aden Meinel, Ivan King, and Gerry Neugebauer.
 
You want to know who's really who?  Just read a lot or ask it.
There's Osterbrock, the Riekes too, and Popper, Joy, and Plaskett,
And Ritchey, Wright and Franklin Roach, John Jefferies, Harold Johnson,
Shane-Wirtanen and Sandage, Schmidt, Bill Sinton, Harley Thronson,
And Babcock, Mayall, Slipher, Shapley, Struve, Swings and Stebbins,
Clyde Tombaugh, Charlie Townes and Trumpler, Weaver, David Evans,
And Ira Bowen, Bob McMath, and Lowell.  Please be neighborly
And not forget T. J. J. See and nicer guys like Schaeberle.

Vas[i]levskis and de Vaucouleurs, van Biesbroeck, and van Maanen,
Minkowski and Bobrovnikoff don't rhyme, but then we can, in
Spite of this conclude our list - it shouldn't be too tricky.
There's Wallerstein and Whitford, Westphal, Zuckerman and Zwicky.
 
To lofty mountains off they went in confident reliance,
In hot pursuit of photons there and world beating science.