Maria Mitchell Who is Maria Mitchell?

● Maria was born in 1818 on Nantucket Island. She was the 3rd of 10 children. ● Her father was a teacher and scientific experimenter. He worked on clocks for ships to help them keep up with their longitude. Her mother was a librarian. Soon Maria would be a librarian for 20 years. ● All the children were encouraged to learn and explore. So, Maria read many books. ● Maria saw her first solar eclipse when she was 12 years old. Her fascination of astronomy began.

● On October 1, 1847, Maria looked into her family’s telescope and saw something unusual! It was a comet! (Not known or recognized yet) Because of this discovery, the King of Denmark gave her a gold medal! At that time, her desire to know more about astronomy continued.

● In 1857, she traveled all over Europe and met with other astronomers.

● She became an acknowledged American female scientist and astronomer in the United States. ● Soon after, Maria was hired as a professor of astronomy at Vassar College. She insisted the college build an observatory. She lived and taught in the observatory. She mentored students and would travel throughout the United States to view solar eclipses. She continued to teach until her retirement in 1888.

● She became the first female to join the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. ● After her death in 1889, many of her students formed the Maria Mitchell Association, which continues to provide science education to children and adults. ● There is a comet named Miss Mitchell’s Comet, along with an asteroid and a lunar crater also named after her.