File:Maria_Mitchell_portrait.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Maria Mitchell was an American astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of the night sky during the 19th century. She is important in the history of science as a pioneering woman in astronomy at a time when few women were able to pursue careers in scientific fields.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Person · Open Library
- Works
- 11
Top works
- Life Letters and Journals
- Magnolia Cristiana St. Claire
- Divorce
- In India - Sketches of Indian Life and Travel from Letters and Journals
- From Wedding Rings to Imperfect Dreams
via Open Library + Wikidata
Key facts
- Born
- ( 1818-08-01 ) August 1, 1818, New York , New York, U.S.
- Died
- June 28, 1889 (1889-06-28) (aged 70), Lynn , Massachusetts, U.S.
- Known for
- Discovery of C/1847 T1 First female American professional astronomer
- Awards
- King of Denmark's Cometary Prize Medal (1848)
- Fields
- Astronomy
- Institutions
- Nautical Almanac Office Vassar College Vassar College Observatory
- Notable students
- Margaretta Palmer Mary Watson Whitney
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Given name
- Maria
- Family name
- Mitchell
- Gender
- female
- Citizenship
- United States
- Place of birth
- Nantucket
- Place of death
- Lynn
- Occupation
- naturalist
- Educated at
- Vassar College
- Languages spoken
- English language
- Religion
- Unitarianism
- Field of work
- pedagogy
- Official website
- www.mariamitchell.org
- Image
- MariaMitchell.jpg
Show 7 more facts
- name in native language
- Maria Mitchell
- different from
- Maia Mitchell
- relative
- Mary Ann Albertson
- Commons category
- Maria Mitchell
- date of birth
- 1818-08-01
- date of death
- 1889-06-29
via Wikidata · CC0
~16 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Maria Mitchell (/məˈraɪə/ mə-RY-ə; August 1, 1818 – June 28, 1889) was an American astronomer, librarian, naturalist, and educator. In 1847, she discovered a comet named 1847 VI (modern designation C/1847 T1) that was later known as "Miss Mitchell's Comet" in her honor. She won a gold medal prize for her discovery, which was presented to her by King Christian VIII of Denmark in 1848. Mitchell was the first internationally known woman to work as both a professional astronomer and a professor of astronomy after accepting a position at Vassar College in 1865. She was also the first woman elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Mitchell is the namesake of the Maria Mitchell Association, the Maria Mitchell Observatory, and the Maria Mitchell Aquarium.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Maria Mitchell” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.