#WilliaminaFleming, ASTRONOMER- at @MountAuburnCemetery in Cambridge. . . Williamina Flemming was a maid at the house of Edward Pickering, director of the Harvard Observatory. Frustrated with the work his assistants, Pickering exclaimed “My Scottish maid could do better!” and in 1879 Fleming was brought on to do administrative work at the Observatory. Soon after Pickering trained Fleming to analyze stellar spectra. Together with #AnnieJumpCannon and #HenriettaLeavit, Fleming became of the founding members of the #HarvardComputers- a group of women working at the observatory charged with processing astronomical data by analyzing glass negative plates by measuring & comparing the spectra, brightness and position of stars. During this period these women made numerous discoveries, and developed methods of stellar classification still in use today. . In 1888 Fleming discovered a small dark nebula south of the eastern most star in Orion’s Belt. Barnard 33, better known as the #HorseheadNebula is one of the most identifiable stellar features due to it’s resemble;ance, well- to a horse’s head. In total Fleming would discover 59 nebulea, over 300 variable stars an 10 novea. She was also the first to discover “white dwarf” stars and published her findings on the discovery in 1910. . She was posthumously made an honory member of the #RoyalAstronomySociety of London and a crater of the far side of the moon was named in her honor. . #igersboston #newenglandhistory #harvard #harvarduniversity #cambridgema #massachusetts_igers #astronomy #nightsky #scienceblog #historyblogger #taphophile (at Mount Auburn Cemetery) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBD8fGJFuDg/?igshid=cmv2p2r5ifvi
