At Harvard College Observatory (now the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian), women computers studied glass plate photographs of the night sky. Here they catalogued stars, identifying variables, interpreting stellar spectra, counting galaxies, and measuring the vast distances in space. Several of them made game-changing discoveries in astronomy and astrophysics. In these books, follow the work of Williamina Fleming who discovered over 310 variable stars as well as discovering the first white dwarf. Interested in historical women? Love astronomy? Help us transcribe the work of the Harvard Observatory's women computers and see which stars shine the brightest. Have questions? Want to start a discussion? Head over to our blog posts to make comments about notebooks and ask questions about transcribing. NOTE: Please follow these special instructions when transcribing these notebooks.
At Harvard College Observatory (now the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian), women computers studied glass plate photographs of the night sky, cataloguing stars, identifying variables, interpreting stellar spectra, counting galaxies, and measuring the vast distances in space. Several of them made game-changing discoveries in astronomy and astrophysics. In these books, follow the work of Williamina Fleming who discovered over 310 variable stars as well as discovering the first white dwarf. Interested in historical women? Love astronomy? Help us transcribe the work of the Harvard Observatory's women computers and see which stars shine the brightest. Have questions? Want to start a discussion? Head over to our blog posts to make comments about notebooks and ask questions about transcribing. NOTE: Please follow these special instructions when transcribing these notebooks.
Recently, research material originally produced during the mid-to-late 19th and early 20th centuries by researchers at the Harvard College Observatory was re-discovered in the HCO Plate Stacks holdings. These early notebooks and other materials are absolutely irreplaceable. The material represents the history of the Harvard College Observatory and comprises remarkable examples of primary source material showing the evolution of observation methods, along with early astronomy as a whole. The documents are also relevant to the history of women in science as the collection contains material produced by the Harvard Computers. Women like Williamina Fleming, Annie Jump Cannon, Henrietta Swan Leavitt, Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin and Antonia Maury made their mark in astronomy (and history!) here by studying these glass plates and publishing their findings in their own name. To learn more about the impact of the women computers, listen to an interview with Dava Sobel about her recently released book "Glass Universe" describing their legacy.
See an interesting bit, note, or image in the margins? Tell us about it on Twitter or Instagram @ProjectPHaEDRA !
For more information about this collection, check out the Plate Stacks website (platestacks.cfa.harvard.edu) or contact the John G. Wolbach Library and ask about Project PHaEDRA.
If you're a teacher or student, check out our resources about the Harvard Computers and other female astronomers on the Smithsonian Learning Lab.
