author
Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin
1900–1979
A pioneering astronomer who changed our understanding of what stars are made of, she helped show that hydrogen and helium dominate the universe. Her work also opened doors at Harvard, where she became the first woman promoted to full professor in its Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
2 Audiobooks
On the distribution of intensity in stellar absorption lines
by Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, Harlow Shapley
About the author
Born in Wendover, England, on May 10, 1900, she studied at Cambridge before moving to the United States, where she joined Harvard College Observatory. In 1925, her doctoral work showed that stars are composed mainly of hydrogen and helium, a breakthrough that later became one of the foundations of modern astrophysics.
She spent much of her career at Harvard, where she carried out major research on stellar atmospheres and variable stars. In 1956, she became the first woman promoted to full professor in Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences, a landmark in the university's history.
Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin died in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on December 7, 1979. Today she is remembered not only for transforming astronomy, but also for helping make space for women in scientific research and teaching.