The Science Museum of the University of Navarra celebrates the International Day of Women and Girls in Science by remembering the career of astronomer María Mitchell.
Maria Mitchell was the first American astronomer and fought for women's social and political equality.
10 | 02 | 2021
The Science Museum of the University of Navarra celebrates in a new video the figure of the astronomer Mary Mitchell, on the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (February 11).
Maria Mitchell was born in 1818 on the island of Nantucket (Massachusetts). Her childhood was marked by an equal education and by the influence of her father, an astronomer and teacher, who transmitted her passion for science. At the age of twelve, Maria helped her father with astronomical observations and at the age of fourteen, whalers came to her to calibrate the chronometers of the ships.
One of the most important milestones in her life was the discovery of a comet at the age of 29. On October 1, 1847, Maria was observing the sky and discovered a white spot. Thanks to this discovery she was recognized by the King of Denmark and the comet was baptized with her name: "Miss Mitchell's Comet". From this moment on, Maria Mitchell was recognized in the world of astronomy and became the first woman to join the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
In the mid-1960s Vassar College hired Maria as a professor. Working there allowed her to continue her research in astronomy and she specialized in the surfaces of Jupiter and Saturn, as well as in the study of sunspots.
Her legacy: teacher, researcher, feminist and source of inspiration for future scientists
Maria Mitchell was a source of inspiration for many women to begin a career in science, and some of her students were brilliant, such as Christine Ladd Franklin, the first woman doctor at John Hopkins University.
The American astronomer was a model for American suffragettes, as she was the first woman to receive a salary for her intellectual abilities in the academic field. She became a founding member of the American Women's Association and her quote is: "No woman should say: But I am only a woman. Only a woman? And what more can you ask for?".
Maria Mitchell died in 1889 at the age of 70. After her death, her friends and disciples founded in her hometown the Maria Mitchell Association in order to preserve her house, Observatory, books and instruments that she used during her lifetime. Since 1997, the association has been offering an annual scholarship for Women in Science to recognize the advances of women in fields such as natural sciences, physics, engineering, computer science and technology.
The "Women in Science" video project is supported by the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) / Ministry of Science and Innovation and is part of the Science Museum's STEM strategy to make the teaching of subjects related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics more attractive, especially among girls and young women.