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We take data very seriously — you could even say religiously. So, with Pi Day — our favorite unofficial math and science holiday — approaching, we decided to celebrate some of the pioneering scientists of the world. And what better way to do that than with stained-glass lithographs? We challenged artist Aaron Coleman to give these scientific heroes the window treatment using assets from the Shutterstock library. Feast your eyes on the resulting transcendent tableaux below, complete with brief descriptions of the works by the artist.

Ada Lovelace

Ada Lovelace was an English mathematician and writer who became known as the world’s first computer programmer after working with Charles Babbage on the Analytical Engine (an early version of a general purpose computer).

“The book that Lovelace holds in this image is an ode to the notebook she carried around and wrote all her theories and equations in. The notebook is especially relevant since she was the first person to develop an algorithm that would tell a computer to perform a function without crunching numbers. All of her work came from her mind and from her notebook. I thought that was a nice subtle symbol. In addition, I included an image of the little piece that made the computer work. I used a chipboard for the leading and a green and yellow binary code, which represents the algorithms she worked with.”

Isaac Newton

Newton was an English physicist and mathematician, most famous for his work with classical mechanics. He developed the Law of Universal Gravitation and played a major role in the scientific revolution. He also played a significant part in the development of calculus.

“The background here is meant to form a diagram of what gravity does in space. The light beam that intersects the prism is an ode to Newton’s discovery that white light is made up of all colors. Newton also discovered and conceived the Law of Universal Gravitation, so I decided to have him hover, defying gravity altogether.”

Nikola Tesla

Tesla was a Serbian American inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer. He’s famous for his work with the modern alternating-current electricity supply system, aka the electricity we’re able to use in our homes today.

“The Wardenclyffe, Tesla’s laboratory on Long Island, comprises the background of this work. The portrait has a little egg toward the top center of the piece, an ode to Tesla’s Egg of Columbus.”

Alan Turing

Turing was a British computer scientist and mathematician who worked primarily in the UK. He invented the Turing Machine, a general purpose computer, and later, worked at Bletchley Park to decode German messages by using a bombe, as dramatized in The Imitation Game.

“The apple in this piece pays homage to the statue of Turing on the University of Manchester campus, a representation of his homosexuality and forbidden love at the time. The background forms the interior of GCHQ, where he worked, decoding information. He’s also holding two keys, which are meant to represent cracking codes and enigmas/machines.”

Neil Degrasse Tyson

Tyson is an American astrophysicist, cosmologist, and director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Museum of Natural History in NYC. He’s also an author and has published extensive research and books. In 2014, he hosted Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, a rework of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos series from 1980.

“The background here resembles the Hayden Planetarium, and in the center, there’s a Spaceship of Imagination (from Cosmos); I also made all the planets swirling around him. In the background, there’s Pluto, because of his involvement in the declassification of Pluto as a planet.”

Which other scientists do you think deserve the stained-glass treatment? Tell us in the comments below!

Check out the lightbox of images used to create these works of art »

For more science, space, and nature themed posts, check out the links below:

Astronaut Chris Hadfield on Creating Out of This World Images

Deep-Sea Dwellers: An Underwater Photo Exploration

Skin of the Earth: City and Land Patterns Seen From Above

Does the Future of Marketing Lie in Brainscans?