I saw a photograph of this man on the astronomy course DVD some friends loaned us. Alex Filippenko described him as brilliant, but abrasive. Indeed, the photo hinted at a man with a rather dynamic personality, and I wanted to sketch him. So I searched for information and photos of this Swiss-American astronomer. Abrasive, indeed, for this man made no attempt to study the finer arts of charm and persuasion. Described as a 'difficult personality', he was fond of calling people "spherical bastards," because they were bastards every way he looked at them.

Still, all that 'difficulty' came with a brilliant mind. "Sixty years ago, Fritz Zwicky was the only astronomer who thought that dark matter, neutron stars, and gravitational lenses were worth worrying about, " reveals Stephen Maurer, Adjunct Associate Professor of Public Policy at University of California, Berkeley. Even though he is not famous, "his influence was significant — far more so, I believe, than his present-day lack of fame would suggest. He was one of the broadest and most inventive scientists of his time, and combined theoretical studies with eminently practical, humanitarian activities." says Dr. Tom Ritchey, a Research Director for the Institution for Technology Foresight and Assessment at the Swedish National Defense Research Agency in Stockholm.