1863 - 1941
Overview:
Despite a severe hearing disability and the added factor of being a woman in an all-male field of work, Annie Jump Cannon contributed highly to the study of astrology. Her contributions to the information known about the night skies aided many women in the search for a career in science.
Country:
United States of America
Type
of hero: Environmental, Cultural and Development Rights
Attributes:
Scientist
Biography:
Annie was born in Delaware, in 1863, the daughter of a state senator. Fortunately her family believed in the importance of education for women – and she attended Wellesley and Radcliffe Colleges.
The move to college in Massachusetts had not been good for her health apparently and she contracted scarlet fever. This illness led to a permanent hearing loss. She was almost completely deaf if not assisted by a hearing aid. Some have suggested that this “disability” in fact aided her powers of concentration in the studies she was to complete later. In 1896, she joined the staff of Harvard Observatory
As curator of astronomical photographs at the observatory in 1911, she began a project to classify stars down to the ninth magnitude. She developed a new classification system based on temperature that was eventually adopted as standard classification.
More than a quarter of a million stars were classified in this way, and published as The Henry Draper Catalogue in nine volumes, from 1918 to 1924. The Henry Draper Extension, the Yale Zone Catalogue and the Cape Zone Catalogue followed this. Her work in the classification of stars is considered a great achievement – one that achieved her a place in the history of science.
Her contribution to women in science did not stop at her own achievements. Having received a substantial cash award as part of a prize, she donated this to the American Astronomical Society to establish a prize for women making a significant contribution to astronomy.
Citations
& References:
Links:
http://www.post-gazette.com/newslinks/19990316womenkids.asp
http://physics.gmu.edu/classinfo/astr228/CourseNotes/ECText/Bios/cannon.htm
http://www.greatwomen.org/cannon.htm
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