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Williamina Fleming
Sign in to saveAlso known as Williamina Paton Stevens Fleming, Mina Fleming
Scottish-American astronomer (1857–1911)
Key facts
- Born
- Williamina Paton Stevens , ( 1857-05-15 ) 15 May 1857, Dundee , Scotland
- Died
- 21 May 1911 (1911-05-21) (aged 54), Boston , Massachusetts, United States
- Alma mater
- None
- Fields
- Astronomy
- Institutions
- Harvard College Observatory
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Family name
- Fleming
- Gender
- female
- Citizenship
- United Kingdom
- Place of birth
- Dundee
- Place of death
- Boston
- Occupation
- astronomer
- Employer
- Harvard College Observatory
- Languages spoken
- English language
- Notable work
- discovery
- Participant in
- Henry Draper Catalogue
- Doctoral advisor
- Edward Charles Pickering
- Student of
- Edward Charles Pickering
- Field of work
- astronomy
- Image
- Williamina Paton Stevens Fleming circa 1890s.jpg
- Residence
- Boston
Show 11 more facts
- date of birth
- 1857-05-15
- date of death
- 1911-05-21
- Commons category
- Williamina Fleming
- member of
- Royal Astronomical Society
- birth name
- Williamina Paton Stevens
- manner of death
- natural causes
- place of burial
- Mount Auburn Cemetery
- name in native language
- Williamina Fleming
- nickname
- Mina
- partner in business or sport
- Anna Winlock
- cause of death
- pneumonia
via Wikidata · CC0
~10 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Williamina Paton Stevens Fleming (15 May 1857 – 21 May 1911) was a Scottish astronomer. At the Harvard College Observatory, she contributed to the photographic classification of stellar spectra, helping to develop a common designation system for stars. Fleming cataloged more than ten thousand stars, 59 gaseous nebulae, over 310 variable stars, and 10 novae, among other astronomical phenomena. She is credited with the discovery of the Horsehead Nebula in 1888, and she was a vocal supporter of women's representation in her field.
Early life
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Williamina Fleming” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.