Women Astronomers Erin McCoy

Hypatia AD Head of Neoplatonic School in Alexandria and was the most eminent female mathematician of ancient times Taught philosophy, astronomy, and math Wore scholar’s robes and drove her own chariot Daughter of Theon Alexandrius, a famous mathematician Inventor of the Hydrometer and improved the design of the Astrolabe Wrote Algebra & Geometry textbooks, did work on conic sections Most of her works were lost in the destruction of the Library of Alexandria, and are only known through letters exchanged by contemporaries Christians hated her because she was a pagan, and some blamed her for a religious feud between two men that was happening at the time She was killed by a Christian mob that dragged her from her chariot and destroyed her body with roofing tiles Her death is regarded by some historians as marking of the end of the classical antiquity period, and the beginning of the Dark Ages.

Sophia Brahe Brother of Tycho Brahe He taught her horticulture and chemistry, but told her not to study astronomy (she did anyway) When she was 17 she helped him with the work that became the basis for modern planetary orbit predictions

Maria Cunitz German astronomer Dedicated scholar, could speak in 7 languages Wrote Urania propitia, which provides a more elegant solution to Kepler’s Problem She was acclaimed as the “most learned woman in astronomy since Hypatia of Alexandria”

Elisabeth Hevelius Was interested in astronomy at an early age At 16, she married Johannes Hevelius who was 56 and an internationaly renowned astronomer with the best observatory in the world After he died, she published Prodromus astronomiae in 1690, which catalogued 1,564 stars & their positions

Caroline Herschel Sister of William Herschel Collaborated with him throughout his career Discovered several comets Published a Catalogue of Stars in 1798 that was an updated & improved version of John Flamsteed’s After William died, she continued his work and published a catalog of nebulae Recieved a Gold Medal from the Royal Astronomical Society in 1828

Wang Zhenyi Famous Chinese scientist from the Qing dynasty Breached feudal customs of the time by studying astronomy, math, geography and medicine Was also a poet, and studied equestrian skills, archery, and martial arts under the wife of a Mongolian general Contributed to the study of equinoxes and lunar eclipses Rewrote Mei Wending’s Principles of Calculation to be more accessable to students learning multiplication and division Died at 29

Maria Mitchell First American woman to work as a professional astronomer Discovered a comet that was consequently named “Miss Mitchell’s Comet”

Williamina Fleming Scottish astronomer Was Edward Pickering’s maid and later became an assistant at the Harvard College Observatory Helped to develop a common designation system for stars Catalogued thousands of stars and other astronomical phenomena Discovered the Horsehead Nebula in 1888

Annie Jump Cannon Also worked at the Harvard Observatory Improved Williaina Fleming’s stellar classification system In 1922 her system was adopted by the International Astronomical Union This system (with minor changes) is still being used today She classified more stars in a lifetime than anyone else – 500,000 stars The American Astronomical Society presents the Annie Jump Cannon Award annually to female astronomers for distinguished work in astronomy

Ruby Payne-Scott Studied stronomy, physics, chemistry, mathematics, and botany Australian pioneer in radiophysics and radio astronomy First female radio astronomer One of the first people to consider the possibility of radio astronomy

Jocelyn Bell Burnell 1943 Irish astrophysicist Discovered the first radio pulsars with Antony Hewish Hewish was awarded the Physics Nobel Prize for this in 1974, while she was excluded Has campaigned to improve the status and number of women in physics and astronomy In 2013 she was listed as one of the 100 most powerful women in the UK by Women’s Hour on BBC Radio 4

Bibliography Christianson, John Robert (2000). On Tycho's Island: Tycho Brahe and his assistants, 1570–1601. Cambridge University Press. ISBN XCambridge University PressISBN X Margaret Alic, "Hypatia's heritage: a history of women in science from antiquity through the nineteenth century", Beacon Press, 1986, pg. 120 Ogilvie, Marilyn Bailey. "Hevelius, Elisabetha Koopman". In: Women in Science, The MIT Press, 1986, p. 99 ISBN X (Short encyclopedia article)Hevelius, Elisabetha KoopmanISBN X Shen, Yu Wu (2011). 清代女科学家 (Female scientists in Qing dynasty). Zhejiang: Zhejiang Education Press. ISBN ISBN Kass-Simon, Gabriele (1993). Farnes, Patricia; Nash, Deborah, eds. Women of science: righting the record. Midland Book 813. Indiana University Press. pp. 92–94. ISBN Women of science: righting the recordISBN Goss, W.M. (Miller) & McGee, Richard; Under the Radar: The First Woman in Radio Astronomy: Ruby Payne- Scott. Springer, 2010 ISBN ISBN Payne-Scott, Ruby Violet ( ) in The Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in the Twentieth Century Payne-Scott, Ruby Violet ( ) Bell Burnell, S. J. (2004). "So Few Pulsars, So Few Females". Science 304 (5670): 489– 426. doi: /science doi /science