The glass universe : how the ladies of the Harvard Observatory took the measure of the stars / Dava Sobel.

Author
Sobel, Dava [Browse]
Format
Book
Language
English
Published/​Created
  • New York, New York : Viking, [2016]
  • ©2016
Description
xii, 324 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm

Availability

Available Online

Copies in the Library

Location Call Number Status Location Service Notes
Lewis Library - Stacks QB34.5 .S63 2016 Browse related items Request

    Details

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    Library of Congress genre(s)
    Getty AAT genre
    Summary note
    • The little-known true story of the unexpected and remarkable contributions to astronomy made by a group of women working in the Harvard College Observatory from the late 1800s through the mid-1900s.-- Provided by publisher.
    • In the mid-nineteenth century, the Harvard College Observatory began employing women as "human computers" to interpret the observations their male counterparts made via telescope each night. As photography transformed the practice of astronomy, the ladies turned from computation to studying the stars captured nightly on glass photographic plates. The support of Mrs. Anna Palmer Draper, the widow of a pioneer in stellar photography, enabled the women to discern what stars were made of, divide the stars into meaningful categories for further research, and find a way to measure distances across space by starlight. Sobel tells the hidden history of the women whose contributions to the burgeoning field of astronomy forever changed our understanding of the stars and our place in the universe.
    Bibliographic references
    Includes bibliographical references and index.
    Contents
    • Part one: The colors of starlight. Mrs. Draper's intent ; What Miss Maury saw ; Miss Bruce's largesse ; Stella nova ; Bailey's picture from Peru
    • Part two: Oh, be a fine girl, kiss me!. Mrs. Fleming's title ; Pickering's "harem" ; Lingua franca ; Miss Leavitt's relationship ; The Pickering fellows
    • Part three: In the depths above. Shapley's "kilo-girl" hours ; Miss Payne's thesis ; The Observatory Pinafore ; Miss Cannon's prize ; The lifetimes of stars
    • Some highlights in the history of the Harvard College Observatory
    • A catalogue of Harvard astronomers, assistants, and associates.
    Other title(s)
    How the ladies of the Harvard Observatory took the measure of the stars
    ISBN
    • 9780670016952 ((hardcover))
    • 0670016950 ((hardcover))
    SuDoc no.
    -
    LCCN
    2016029496
    OCLC
    952469237
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