Pickering's Women

Today I’m going to introduce you to some of the most famous women in astronomy. They were all employed by the Harvard Observatory, in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. There were no Apple’s or PCs back then. Instead, human ‘computers’ did all the calculations used in astronomical research. Out of 80 or so women who worked for Harvard during this time, four of them distinguished themselves as astronomers in their own right, in spite of being discouraged at every step by the prejudices of the day.Harvard College Observatory was founded in 1839. Astronomy was just beginning to be taught as a science in its own right, instead of as an extension of philosophy. Universities were beginning to receive funds for astronomical research, and data was beginning to accumulate faster than it could be analyzed. In 1877 Edward Charles Pickering became the director of the observatory, and it is he who is responsible for opening the doors of astronomy to women. Although women had been volunteers at the observatory in the past, usually relatives of men on Harvard’s payroll, Pickering convinced the Harvard Corporation to hire women for the tedious work of computing. The women computers at Harvard College Observatory ...