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The four Nuns who mapped the stars - and other Astronomer Women

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Suranis
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The four Nuns who mapped the stars - and other Astronomer Women

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Post by Suranis »

This just popped up on my facebook
A Mighty Girl

More than a century after they mapped over 481,000 stars, four once nameless nuns were at long last recognized for their many years of hard work at advancing human understanding of the universe! Sisters Emilia Ponzoni, Regina Colombo, Concetta Finardi and Luigia Panceri were recruited by the Vatican to measure and map stars as part of one of the greatest scientific undertakings of the late 19th century -- the vast international effort to map the entire night sky and create a comprehensive star atlas called the Astrographic Catalogue. Although this photo of the nuns had appeared in books about the history of astronomy, the women's names were never known until just a few years ago when Father Sabino Maffeo, a Jesuit priest who works at the Vatican Observatory, discovered their identities while organizing papers in the archive.

This grand project to map the sky first began in April 1887 when 56 scientists from 19 countries decided to use the new discipline of astrophotography to create photographic plates of the stars. Twenty observatories around the world participated in analyzing the 22,000 glass plates -- and, in many countries, while male astronomers directed the programs, women did of the labor-intensive work of processing and cataloging the stars. One of the most famous groups was the young women hired by Harvard Observatory director Edward Charles Pickering -- known as the "Harvard Computers," the group included such now famous astronomers as Annie Jump Cannon, Henrietta Swan Leavitt, and Williamina Fleming. However, the vast majority of women who worked for years on the project at observatories around the world who were never recognized for their contributions to astronomy.

Ultimately, the project resulted in a 254-volume catalog of 4.6 million stars. Although it was ultimately only half completed -- astronomers stopping work on the initiative in 1962 -- the Astrographic Catalogue became the basis of the star reference system used today. And, as Erin Blakemore observes in Smithsonian, "Though the women didn’t end up counting all of the stars, perhaps one day history will do a better job of counting the women whose diligent work helped map out the starry skies."

For picture books about several of the extraordinary women involved in early star mapping work as "Harvard Computers," we highly recommend "She Caught the Light: Williamina Stevens Fleming: Astronomer" (https://www.amightygirl.com/she-caught-the-light), “Look Up!: Henrietta Leavitt, Pioneering Woman Astronomer" (https://www.amightygirl.com/look-up), and "Annie Jump Cannon, Astronomer" (https://www.amightygirl.com/annie-jump- ... astronomer), all for ages 5 to 9

For more children's books about women who helped unlock the mysteries of the skies, check out "Listening to the Stars: Jocelyn Bell Burnell Discovers Pulsars" (https://www.amightygirl.com/listening-to-the-stars), "Always Looking Up: Nancy Grace Roman, Astronomer" (https://www.amightygirl.com/always-looking-up), "The Stuff Between the Stars: How Vera Rubin Discovered Most of the Universe" (https://www.amightygirl.com/the-stuff-between-the-stars), all for ages 5 to 9

For a fun activity book about female astronomers and astronauts which includes a variety of space-themed STEM projects, we recommend "Gutsy Girls Go for Science: Astronauts" for ages 8 to 11 at https://www.amightygirl.com/gutsy-girls-astronauts

For two fun dolls for aspiring young astronomers, we recommend the Astrophysicist Doll for ages 3 to 7 (https://www.amightygirl.com/astrophysicist-doll) and the Astronomer Lottie Doll for ages 3 to 8 (https://www.amightygirl.com/stargazer-lottie-doll)

And, to inspire kids of all ages with stories starring girls who love science, visit our blog post, "Ignite Her Curiosity: 60 Books Starring Science-Loving Mighty Girls," at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=13914
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Re: The four Nuns who mapped the stars - and other Astronomer Women

#2

Post by Tiredretiredlawyer »

Thank you for posting this, Suranis! My grandgurlzz, great nieces, and goddaughters will benefit.

Hooray for those nuns finally being named. What a massive, complex project.
"Mickey Mouse and I grew up together." - Ruthie Tompson, Disney animation checker and scene planner and one of the first women to become a member of the International Photographers Union in 1952.
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Suranis
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Re: The four Nuns who mapped the stars - and other Astronomer Women

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Post by Suranis »

I forgot to include the facebook page above.

https://www.facebook.com/amightygirl/po ... 746769373/

And here is the photo on the article referenced above.

Four Nuns.jpg
Four Nuns.jpg (119.74 KiB) Viewed 528 times
I am a big fan of Nuns. :mrgreen:
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