The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars in Science and Inquiry

Jun 06, 2017 Susanna - Censored by GoodReads rated it liked it

This book covers not only the seminal work of the ladies of the Harvard Observatory, from Annie Jump Cannon and Cecelia Payne on down, but also its directors, Edward Pickering (director 1877-1919) and Harlow Shapley (1922-1951). Most time is given from the 1880s through the 1930s. Some of the ladies of Harvard made great discoveries, from astronomy's first "true candle" of relative distance, the Cepheid variables, to the stellar classification scheme that is still in use, to name only two of the This book covers not only the seminal work of the ladies of the Harvard Observatory, from Annie Jump Cannon and Cecelia Payne on down, but also its directors, Edward Pickering (director 1877-1919) and Harlow Shapley (1922-1951). Most time is given from the 1880s through the 1930s. Some of the ladies of Harvard made great discoveries, from astronomy's first "true candle" of relative distance, the Cepheid variables, to the stellar classification scheme that is still in use, to name only two of the most important.

It is notable that women not only did the great grunt work of the Harvard Observatory, which hired them in great numbers (it was considered genteel work for graduates of the new women's colleges - who were also less expensive to hire than men of the same qualifications), but that women paid for much of it.

The Harvard Observatory had two notable donors in the last quarter of the 19th century (in the 20th, much of their money came from the Rockefellers), both women. Mrs. Draper chose to memorialize the work of her late husband, Dr. Draper, whose private passion had been stellar photography (he could afford it, for he married an heiress), and the Harvard Observatory therefore became one of the first to switch from observing in person, while sketching pictures of what the astronomer thought they saw, to photographic astronomy.

And then Miss Bruce, whose main interest and patronage was in the arts, became incensed while reading an article on astronomy that claimed there were no more great questions to answer there. And made a major donation to the Harvard Observatory in an attempt to answer the great questions she felt sure were still out there. The half million glass plates at Harvard are the result of these ladies' gifts, and the women "computers" work, and still provide work for researchers. (Harvard's collection of half a million glass photographs covers over a century of observations, from the first efforts in 1850, up until 1992 and the digital revolution.)

Both ladies sponsored scientific awards that are still given (the Draper and Bruce Awards). Few of the winners have been women. (Pickering and Shapely won both medals. Annie Jump Cannon won the Draper - the first woman - of two - to do so. None of the women of Harvard won the Bruce, which would not be awarded to a woman until 1982.) ...more

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Jan 20, 2018 Charlene rated it liked it

Shelves: biography, physics, history

I have read much better tellings of Henrietta Swan Levitt and Cecilia Payne. This history was surprisingly dry. However, in the very first part of the book (that I thought was reflective of how the rest of the book would go), Sobel retold the history of the remarkable Mary Ann Palmer Draper and her husband Henry, two passionate astronomers and patrons of science.

Mary Anna Palmer Draper was a rare spouse (one of only 2 known in the nation) who collaborated with her husband Henry Draper, whose pa I have read much better tellings of Henrietta Swan Levitt and Cecilia Payne. This history was surprisingly dry. However, in the very first part of the book (that I thought was reflective of how the rest of the book would go), Sobel retold the history of the remarkable Mary Ann Palmer Draper and her husband Henry, two passionate astronomers and patrons of science.

Mary Anna Palmer Draper was a rare spouse (one of only 2 known in the nation) who collaborated with her husband Henry Draper, whose passion in life was trying to figure out the composition of stars. When Henry died, Mary Anna vowed to keep Henry's work of discovering the composition of stars alive. It seems at that time, they were one of only 2 married couples, nationwide, who shared a love of astronomy. Most male astronomers, for whatever reason, married partners who did not share their passion for science. But Mary Anna and Henry bonded over it and it seems to be what made their particular marriage so exciting and fulfilling. An heiress, Mary Anna turned the 3 rd floor of the home her father had left to her into an astronomy lab for Henry. At that home, they hosted intellectual dinners for famous scientists and the president, the most notable of which was for the solar eclipse of 1878.

When Henry died at the age of 45, she took her limited knowledge of astronomy and her not so limited passion and love for science and her husband, along with her not so limited funds, and her efforts to honor her husbands scientific worked in her helping found the Mount Wilson Observatory. Receiving help from one of her husband's best friends Mr. Pickering, Mary Anna worked with the Harvard computers (women) to create a team to carry on Henry's work. Of particular interest was how some of the women came to work as computers. One woman, Willimina Flemming, was hired as a maid. Prior to working as a made, she had gotten pregnant and her husband took off, saddling her with the responsibility of figuring out how to care for their child. As a result, she was pretty desperate for a job. Cleaning seemed as good a job as any, and about all she was qualified for. But when Mrs. Pickering (fill in later) recognized that she had a talent for numbers, she gave her a job as a computer. She had the baby shortly after she started and could only work again once she got her mother and grandmother to raise her child. In order to keep a job as a computer, she had to move to another state and leave the baby she loved. This made me wonder about why it has been so hard for women to form a network of care. Many species do communal parenting, in which the females chip in to watch each other's babies. There has been far too much stigma in our society, even today, for that kind of model to work enough to afford women freedom. I wonder where that stigma came from and why it was so horrible to have others care for you baby, if you are woman, but it was somehow completely acceptable for a man to relegate the care of his child to others.

The story of Cecilia Payne could have been just as engaging as the story of the Palmer-Drapers. But it was a lot less exciting, informative, or awe inspiring as I had hoped. A book I read many years ago really brought Payne to life. I wish I had taken better notes because now I sadly cannot recall which author it was, thought I suspect it was David Bodanis' book e=mc2. (Now that was a captivating book).

The book started out strong but didn't quite hold up as it progressed. ...more

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Feb 24, 2017 Jenny rated it really liked it

I enjoyed listening to this book and found the story of the women who analyzed photographic plates for the Harvard Observatory fascinating. It was fun to pick up a copy of the book and realize that the photographs included pictures of the people in the book as well as a pet whippet (an added bonus I shared with my whippet mix). Many of the discussions about equal pay and opportunity for women will resonate with women today.

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