Difference between revisions of "Maria Mitchell"

'''Maria Mitchell,''' 1818-1889, was an American astronomer. She began her career as an amateur, making observations from her home in [[Nantucket]]. In 1847 she discovered a comet, winning an international prize, and becoming a minor celebrity.<ref>[http://www.massmoments.org/moment.cfm?mid=284 Mass Moments: Maria Mitchell discovers comet, October 1, 1847]</ref> This launched her on her professional career. She worked on calculations for the ''American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac.'' In 1865, Matthew Vassar founded [[Vassar College]] and hired her a professor of astronomy and director of the observatory. The observatory was the first building constructed at Vassar.<ref>[http://vcencyclopedia.vassar.edu/index.php/Maria_Mitchell_Observatory Maria Mitchell Observatory], Vassar Encyclopedia</ref> Vassar became an important center of astronomy, and Vassar graduates were in demand by the large observatories.<ref>Mack, Pamela E. (1990), "Straying From Their Orbits: Women in Astronomy in America," in Kass-Simon, G. and Patricia Farnes (eds) (1990), ''Women of Science: Righting the Record,'' Indiana University Press, ISBN 0-253-33264-8</ref>