New-York tribune., 1901-11-24
DISCIPLES OF HYPAT1A.
WOMEN ENGAGE IN ASTRONOMICAL
PURSUITS
AMERICA HAS MANY WHO OBSERVE. CLASSIFY 7
AND COMPUTE.

MISS Anna WILCOX OF Ine f1dTfdiu OSSNA'
tory staff, had cola borated with Simon New
comb in omputing the orbit of newly found
asteroid is a reminder OF the large share Wnlch
the fair sex has had in astronomical Work from
Hypatia's day down to the present time AZ
though the woman whom Kingsley takes as the
heroine of of his novels taught philosophy
well science. she especially excelled IN
mathematics. and is known to have engaged IN
astronomical calculations.
Among the first devotees of stellar science
after the revival of civilization in Europe, four
or five centuries ago, were Sophia Brahe (1Joo-
1643), Maria Cunitz Q610-166D and Ellzapeth'
second wife of Hevelius. OF the first very little
is known beyond the circumstance that she was
a sister Of the great astronomer, Tycho Brahe-
Cunitz. although she married amateur as
tronomer and derived some inspiration from
him, really exhibited much original nathemat-
cal talent. She computed tables. which were a
smpIiication of Keplers, but inasmuch as she
made TO use Of Iogarithms her task was more
difficult than it would have been otherwise.
Hevelius, wesathy amateur, residing in Silesa.
undertook a series CT observations for a new
star catalogue. His wife assisted him, and
published some of his results after his death
She named a constellation the Shield OF So
bieski," after a King of Poland.
Three more modern, If not more conspicuous.
figures in the realm OF astronomy Mary
SOmervIe, Caroline Herschel and Maria
Mitchell Mary Somerve, whose maiden name
was Fairfax and who related to George
Washington's mother, born in Scotland
near the close of the year 1880. She was almost
as versatile as Hypatia. Her most famous
work. perhaps was an adaptation OF La Places
Celestial Mechanics to the comprehension OF a
large number of students. It from the
great FrenChman she received the compliment
that she the only woman who ever under
stood him John Couch Adams. of the dis
coverers of the planet Neptune. says that he de-
rived the hint which led to his computations
| from reading Mary Somervilles Connection OF
the Physical Sciences
Caroline Herschel QT5O-1 S4S) discovered no
less than seven comets and published several
catalogues of stars and nebulee. Maria Mitchell
a native of Nantucket, and while yet a
young woman became librarian Of the local
athen4um. With a small telescope. which had
belonged to her father. she scrutinized the skies
for years In 1915 she discovered a comet
That event led to many recognitions Of her skill
from foreign we'll as American sources The
King Of Denmark her medal Her SER
vices as a computer were sought al the Nau-
teal Almanac office in Washington and when
she went abroad she received attention from
Mary Somerville. George Eliot and other women
famous for intellectual endowments- In 1860
she became professor OF astronomy in Nassar
College. a post which she occupied until age
rendered resignation necessary. She died IN
1889
The British Astronomical Association IS made
up largely OF amateurs and It's membership
now includes number OF women. The obser-
vations made by some OF the latter often ap-
proach in value those of professional astrono-
mers. One OF the best photographs OF the total
eclipse OF the sun taken in India two or three
years ago was secured by Mrs E. Walter
Maunder an amateur The most prominent
-ys-L
day however. are Lady Higgins and Miss
Agnes NJ Clarke. The former IS the wife OF
the venerable spectroscopist Sir William Hug
gins. and in all published reports OF his re-
searches he shares the credit with Lady Hug
gins. Miss Clarke a native OF Ireland and
nearly sixty years old. engaged in observa-
tionaI work at the Cape OF Good Hope Observa-
tory in 1888. But she IS chiefly known as a
writer. and charming writer. too. She has
wonderful faculty Of digesting the somewhat
abstruse and technical reports OF original IN
vestigators and putting their pith in popular
form
A considerable number Of American women
have Of late been led into observationaI and
mathematical pursuits in connection with as
tronomy- One OF them. Dorothea Klumpke. has
been lent 10 France for more than a dozen
years She was born in California and has two |
sisters. one Of whom excels in and the other /
in the practice of medicine. Miss klImpke has /
been connected with the observatory of Paris !
in one capacity or another since 1887. The /
thesis which won her a doctorate was on the /
rings of Saturn. She is now at the head of d :
bureau for measuring star nates for the /
international chart of the heavens and has five /
assistants of her
The only the Pacific Coast who :
is conspicuous for astronomical work is Rose
OrHalloran. who came this country from Tip .
perary. She supports herself by teaching. but /
has passion for stellar science. Reports of her /
observations often appear in astronomical !
magazines. !
One of the most important branches of the (
work of the Harvard Observatory is photo |
graphic and this in turn subdivides itself into /
the registration of the stars proper and of their |
spectra The latter facilitates the classification
Of the stars according to their probable compo- |
sitfon and temperature For the last three or |
four years Mrs Williamina Patton Fleming has |
been curator of astronomical photographs at |
Harvard. and in her examination of some of the |
plates which under her eye she has dis |
covered stars that were not known before Mrs. |
Fleming is of Scotch birth taught in Dundee |
from 1871 to 1876, and has been attached to the
Harvard staff since 1879. Among her dozen
sstants is niece Of the late Commander
Maury, in charge of the naval observatory in |
Washington from 1914 to 1861. Miss Maury is
an attractive talker astronomical topics.
Another of Mrs. Fleming's assistants is Miss
Anna Winlock, whose special gifts are mathe
maticaI and who performs her duties in mod
est unpretentious fashion. She is the daughter
of Professor Joseph Winlock, time in
charge of the nautical almanac. later occupant
of the chair of mathematics in the Naval
Academy and for several director or the