Maria Mitchell

Maria Mitchell was an American astronomer widely regarded as the first professional female astronomer in the United States. In 1847, observing from the roof of a Nantucket bank building using a small telescope, she discovered a comet, an achievement that brought her international recognition, including a gold medal awarded by the King of Denmark for the discovery, and made her the first woman elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1865 Mitchell became the first astronomy professor at the newly founded Vassar College, where she taught for more than twenty years, insisted her students make original observations rather than simply reading textbooks, and became a prominent advocate for expanding opportunities for women in scientific research. She also worked for several years computing tables of the positions of Venus for the United States Nautical Almanac Office, one of relatively few paid scientific positions open to women at the time, and she helped found the Association for the Advancement of Women.