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How The Ladies Of The Harvard Observatory Took The Measure Of The Stars

Samuel Beckett

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Published in The Glass Universe: How The Ladies Of The Harvard Observatory Took The Measure Of The Stars

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The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars

by Dava Sobel

4.5 out of 5

Language	:	English
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In the early 1900s, women were not allowed to attend Harvard College. But they could work at the Harvard Observatory, where they were assigned the task of measuring and classifying the stars.

These women, known as the "Harvard Computers," made a significant contribution to astronomy. They developed new ways to classify stars, and they discovered new stars and galaxies. Their work helped to lay the foundation for modern astronomy.

One of the most famous Harvard Computers was Annie Jump Cannon. Cannon developed a system for classifying stars based on their spectra. This system is still used today, and it has helped astronomers to understand the evolution of stars.

Another famous Harvard Computer was Henrietta Swan Leavitt. Leavitt discovered a relationship between the period of a variable star and its luminosity. This discovery helped astronomers to measure the distance to stars, and it also helped to lead to the discovery of the expanding universe.

Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin was another groundbreaking Harvard Computer. Payne-Gaposchkin earned a doctorate in astronomy from Radcliffe College, and she became the first woman to earn a doctorate in astronomy from an American university.

Payne-Gaposchkin's dissertation, which she completed in 1925, was a groundbreaking study of the composition of stars. She showed that the stars are mostly made of hydrogen and helium, and she also discovered that the abundance of heavier elements in stars varies.

The work of the Harvard Computers helped to change the course of astronomy. They made significant contributions to our understanding of the stars and the universe, and they helped to pave the way for women in science.

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How The Ladies Of The Harvard Observatory Took The Measure Of The Stars by Dava Sobel
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Harvard Computers on Britannica.com

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A group of women working at the Harvard Observatory in the early 1900s.

The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars

by Dava Sobel

4.5 out of 5