Maria Mitchell
Occupation
Astronomer, Educator, Librarian
Year born
1818
Research Areas
Comets, Solar Eclipse, Planets, Double Stars, Nebulae
- Early Life
Maria was born in Nantucket, USA. Her family made sure that all 10 of their children were well-educated, the girls and the boys. Maria also read about lots of topics in the local library, where her mother worked. Her father was a teacher and his hobby was astronomy.
Agnes Clerke
Occupation
Astronomer, Writer
Year born
1842
Research Areas
History of Astronomy, Biographies, Spectroscopy
- Early Life
Agnes was born in Skibbereen, Ireland. She was schooled at home and spent lots of time studying the things her parents enjoyed. Subjects like music, maths, and science. Her father loved astronomy and had a small telescope. Agnes, her father, and her siblings used it to look at the night sky. They saw the rings of Saturn and the moons of Jupiter.
Biographies
Many people have changed the course of history. These people are often leaders or rulers, but many are scientists. Scientists have made sense of what we see in the night sky. Their work has revealed how our Universe works.
For example, Maria Mitchell. Maria was the first American woman to be paid to work as an astronomer. She discovered a comet in 1847 which was later known as "Miss Mitchell's Comet". Maria tried to increase the number of women who worked in astronomy. She also demanded that her pay should be the same as her male colleagues.
Hunt the Asteroids
How do we find asteroids?
Distances in Space
Investigate the Size of a Galaxy
Have you ever wondered how big a galaxy is? They contain millions to billions of stars but what does that really mean for size?
Reading about sizes in a book is one thing, but what if you could make an observation of a galaxy and then measure its size?
Make Your Own Star Wheel
Have you ever noticed how the night sky looks different every single day? This is because we are constantly moving in space so our view changes.
