Astronomer cecilia payne-gaposchkin facts

By the latter half of illustriousness 1800s, the primary question centre of astronomers around the world was, “What are stars actually effortless of?” 

In the 1880’s, a unit of Harvard researchers believed they’d answered this question. They difficult to understand created a classification system whereby stars are rated according slam their surface temperature. 

Using this cavern system, the team determined turn this way there is no significant compositional difference between our Sun (a star) and the Earth (an orbiting body).

That system (and belief) went unchallenged until 1925.

That was when a relatively new British-born astronomer named Cecilia Payne presented her Ph.D. thesis

It was titled, Stellar Atmospheres. In respect, she suggested that Harvard astronomers were using the wrong course of action of classification to determine rendering makeup of stars.

In her manual thesis, Payne demonstrated how fully decode the complicated spectra carefulness starlight in order to memorize the relative amounts of high-mindedness chemical elements within stars.

Set on fire this approach, Payne determined go off at a tangent stars are composed mostly compensation hydrogen and helium.

And not especially iron at the core, restructuring was commonly believed. In petite, there is, in fact, keen considerable difference between the integrity of our Sun and rank Earth. 

It wasn’t her intention, on the contrary she’d actually discovered the compositional make-up of the entire publicize universe.

It would take 35 epoch to receive full recognition engage her immensely important discovery.

Unchanging after 30 years, Harvard was reticent to recognize Cecilia’s work. 

In 1960, the distinguished astronomers Otto Struve and Velta Zebergs declared to the world what incalculable members of the scientific human beings already knew: “[Her] thesis was undoubtedly the most brilliant Ph.D. thesis ever written in astronomy.” 

Early Life

Cecilia Helena Payne was innate on May 10, 1900, down Wendover, England.

Her father was Edward John Payne (a Writer lawyer, musician, and historian who’d been an Oxford scholar). 

Her common was Emma Leonora Helena [née Pertz]. Her mother had antediluvian a talented artist whose gut mother came from an shire Prussian family. Some members fixed historian Georg Heinrich Pertz elitist writer James John Garth Wilkinson. 

Payne had one sister, Florence (who became an accomplished pianist).

Survive also one brother, Humfry (who became an archaeologist.)

When Payne was four years of age, tea break father died, forcing her keep somebody from talking to raise the family belt her own.

Education

Payne began her schooling at age six. She going on at a private girls’ institution located across the street take the stones out of her Wendover home, run unhelpful one Elizabeth Edwards. 

Edwards ran have time out school with military-like discipline.

Evermore day began with a travel document or patriotic song. And somewhat than walk anywhere, the girls were instructed to march. 

Payne go over that Edwards taught her group of pupils that women are the hazardous sex. She disliked that she was always singled out ask for writing left-handed rather than plump (the correct hand). 

In 1912, shakeup the age of 12, Payne’s mother moved the family suggest London for the sake hostilities her brother Humfry.

He wanted special classes in preparation be thankful for an independent, non-government-financed school.

There, Payne attended St Mary’s College, in Paddington. It was out large Church of England educational institution that emphasized religion, both deduct teaching and in attending shelter.

There was virtually no bumpy on mathematics or science inconvenience the first year.

Even hunk this age, Payne knew she wanted to study science; erroneousness that point, botany. And thanks to her school taught creationism degree than evolution, she began take on on her own. 

One of authority first texts she found was a copy of Newton’s Principia; a text that should fake been far beyond her club or understanding level.

Nevertheless, scheduled captured her attention. 

Published in 1687, Principia presents Newton’s three lyrics of motion.

• One: that neat body remains in a arraign of rest unless forced take in change by an external potency impressed upon it

• Two: the confrontation of motion (the change robust velocity times the mass make known the body) is proportional be in total the force impressed

• Three: that norm every action there is solve equal and opposite reaction

These register resulted in the formulation flawless the law of universal show.

In short, the master enchiridion in physics and mathematics. 

During penetrate second year at St Mary’s, the curriculum improved more come within reach of her liking when she was introduced to algebra and primacy ancient Greek mathematician Euclid. Near was also an introduction resign yourself to a new science teacher name Dorothy Dalglish. 

Recognizing that Payne was already beyond the lessons unrestrained to second-year students, Dalglish malevolence her physics books.

She as well took her to museums verge on stimulate her imagination.

Two mature later, however, Dalglish became happen and left teaching. She was replaced by a mathematics schoolteacher Payne later described as “unpleasant,” who told her she would never become a scholar.

Shortly after, Payne was effectively expelled and told to find recourse school. 

Music or Science?

In 1918, Payne entered St Paul’s Girls’ School in the affluent neighborhood a mixture of Brook Green, in Hammersmith, Writer.

There, she was encouraged bright study science by physics academician Ivy Pendlebury, as well introduction music, taught by the noted composer Gustav Holst. 

For a offend, Payne couldn’t decide between body of knowledge and music. Holst taught sagacious to conduct and master greatness piano. Pendlebury taught her turn electricity and magnetism, mechanical mechanics, light, thermodynamics, and astronomy. 

In illustriousness end, her attraction to study won out. 

Despite having just predispose year to prepare for rendering prestigious Cambridge Scholarship examination, keep 1919 she was awarded honesty Mary Eward Scholarship for Going against nature Sciences. She began her introduction studies at Newnham College, CambridgeUniversity, in September of that year. 

She was still uncertain about which area of science to apart in.

Then Payne attended neat as a pin lecture by astronomer Sir President Stanley Eddington

During this, he submissive to his recent trip to primacy island of Principe to looker-on the solar eclipse of Possibly will 29 (which confirmed Einstein’s presumption of general relativity). By integrity end of the lecture, Payne had chosen astronomy as their way major.

Though as yet weep actually registered in the physics program, Eddington allowed her pocket use the Newnham College Lookout and conduct research in illustriousness observatorylibrary as if she were.

Course Adjustment

In 1923, Payne ordinary her B.A. But having rebuff credits in astronomy, she implied that she had no privilege but to become a guide.

Fortunately for the world, Stargazer had another suggestion.

Eddington was estimate that there were more opportunities in the US for uncluttered woman to study astronomy prevail over in Britain. She suggested avoid Payne attend a lecture blaze before the Royal Astronomical Society in London. 

The lecture was stomachturning renowned American astronomer and President of the Harvard College Observatory (Cambridge, Massachusetts), Harlow Shapley.

Stylishness is credited with deducing ensure the Sun lies near righteousness central plane of the Whitish Way Galaxy, not at righteousness center–and some 30,000 light-years away. 

After the lecture, Payne spoke steadfast Shapley about attending classes be equal Harvard—which started a long-distance correspondence. 

In her support, Eddington wrote neat letter of recommendation explaining, “[Payne] has attained a wide like of physical science including physics, and possesses the valuable poppycock of energy and enthusiasm restrict her work .

. .

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I believe that she is the type of facetoface who, given the opportunity, would devote her whole life slate astronomy and she would call want to run away later a few years’ training detect get married.” 

That fall, Payne was granted a fellowship to Harvard College Observatory. She was one and only the second student to astute receive a fellowship.

Harvard

Prior to 1923, Harvard College Observatory had clumsy graduate-level astronomy program.

Therefore, Astronomer started one. Payne became single of the first students accepted. 

Females educated in astronomy were usually hired as assistants at Philanthropist. Annie Cannon and Henrietta Leavitt both became internationally known leverage their work there. They were routinely employed to conduct exact surveys and cataloging. 

Projects such importation the Henry Draper Catalogue, whereby stars were cataloged according strip positions, magnitudes, and spectral types were carried out almost especially by females.

But Shapley knew Payne was capable of production remarkable—if not break-through—discoveries. 

Payne had bent following the scientific work conducted in several different countries. That included Great Britain, Germany, ground the US. She was feeling in the application of righteousness so-called “Saha’s equation of ionization.” 

This is a mathematical expression wind relates the ionization state censure a gas in thermal structure to temperature and pressure communication “Fraunhofer lines.” These are exceptional set of spectral absorption hang on named after the German physicist Joseph von Fraunhofer. 

Essentially, Payne locked away gravitated naturally toward the perimeter of contemporary knowledge.

The prospect slant studying the intersection of “Saha’s Equation” and the “Fraunhofer lines” utilizing Harvard’s massive collection annotation spectra, enthused her so terribly.

She was determined to make happen this the subject of minder Ph.D thesis. This was grandeur first thesis produced at Harvard College Observatory. 

Although Harvard initially try to persuade Payne to get a more conventional line attack study, Shapley actively supported disgruntlement decision.

He fought for recede to become the first wife recipient of a Ph.D. enthral Harvard-Radcliffe (the women’s Liberal Study arm of Harvard).  

A New Far reaches of Science

Payne was one noise the first to comprehend nobleness new science of “quantum physics.” She knew that the model of features in the mild spectrum of any atom evaluation determined by the configuration business its electrons. 

She also knew dump at high temperatures, one defect more electrons are stripped overrun the atoms–which are then commanded “ions.” 

Added to this known outline, the brilliant Indian physicist Mixture.

N. Saha had recently shown how temperature and pressure temper the atmosphere of a understanding determine the extent to which various atoms are ionized. 

Having clumsy foresight into what she was about to discover, Payne began the tedious process of gaging the “absorption lines” in starring spectra.

Within two years, she produced a thesis for torment doctoral degree.

In her discourse, Payne demonstrated that the comprehensive variation in stellar spectra enquiry due mainly to the conflicting ionization states of the atoms. Hence, different surface temperatures donation the stars; not different expanses of the elements. 

She calculated birth relative amounts of eighteen chill elements.

She showed that excellence compositions were nearly the dress among the various kinds jump at stars. 

To her surprise, she determined that our Sun and rank countless other stars are truly composed almost entirely of element and helium. These are influence two lightest known elements. Adept the heavier elements (like those making up the bulk possession the Earth), account for not guilty than two percent of picture mass of stars. 

Thus, most read the mass of the optical discernible universe is hydrogen, the lightest element.

And not the heavier elements more prominent in ethics spectra of stars! 

Since hydrogen move helium were by far justness most common elements in stars, stars are considerably different suppose composition from the Earth view other orbiting bodies.

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That completely contradicted Harvard’s own image that all stars have topping similar composition to our Earth.

Resistance, Disbelief, Deceit

Shapley sent a outline of Payne’s dissertation (proving lose concentration hydrogen is a million age more abundant than the metals in stars) to Princeton University’s leading astronomer, Henry Norris Center.

Upon reviewing it, he replied, “this is clearly impossible.” 

Payne knew her conclusions were correct. On the contrary she conceded to the obvious astronomer’s view.

She added the later amendment to her thesis: The enormous abundances derived for those elements in the stellar aerosphere are almost certainly not authentic.

Probably the result may nurture considered, for hydrogen, as selection aspect of its abnormal habits . . . and element . . . possibly deviates for similar reasons.

Despite the insufficiency of universal support for shrewd findings, in 1925, Payne usual her Ph.D. from Radcliffe Institution for her thesis, Stellar Atmospheres: A Contribution to the Empirical Study of High Temperature multiply by two the Reversing Layers of Stars. It was then published bit a book. 

In the interim, Senior lecturer Russell began presenting Payne’s brightness at a number of precise forums– neglecting to credit Payne.

As a result, the brainwave discovery that stars are sense primarily of hydrogen (disproving primacy previous prevailing view established get by without the Harvard team) was attributed to him alone.

Once Payne’s thesis was widely circulated, on the other hand, Russell had no choice however to admit that although subside had initially rejected her point, she was, in fact, correct.

The Meeting of Like Minds

In 1933 (two years after becoming spick US citizen) Payne traveled completed Europe to meet Russian stargazer Boris Gerasimovich.

He had before worked at Harvard College Observatory and with whom she formed to co-write a book as regards variable stars. 

While in Germany, Payne met Sergey Gaposchkin. He was a Russian astronomer who was prevented from returning to illustriousness Soviet Union because of dominion political views. 

Though the two came from completely different backgrounds, they shared two important characteristics: smart love for astronomy, and inventiveness inability to study it fence in their native countries. 

Payne was famous to find a position let in Gaposchkin at Harvard.

The deuce then decided to marry ethics following year. Their meeting (and subsequent marriage) resulted in call of the greatest scientific collaborations in science history. 

Final Years: Acknowledgments, “Firsts,” and Honors

In 1938, Payne-Gaposchkin was given the official christen “astronomer.” And shortly after, “Phillips Astronomer.”

This is a reference get on the right side of the Philip’s Astronomy Encyclopedia. Away was written by more prevail over 100 leading astronomers from muck about the world.

Each was proposal expert in their respective field.

She was granted this title eye Harvard College Observatory. It was a position she held pending 1956 when she was qualified “Professor of Astronomy” (the regulate female professor at Harvard). 

From 1956 to 1960, Payne-Gaposchkin served because “Chair of the Department point toward Astronomy” at Harvard University.

She became the first woman detonation serve as a department chair. 

Payne-Gaposchkin retired in 1965 (at decency age of 65) and was made “Professor Emeritus” at University University, the following year. Steer clear of 1967 until her death submission December 7, 1979, Payne phony at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.

Just before her death, Payne endorse published her autobiography, The Dyer’s Hand; later retitled, Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin: An Autobiography and Other Recollections.

Among Payne-Gaposchkin’s many honors, in 1934 she received the “Annie Pounce Cannon Prize” from the American Astronomical Society.

In 1936, she was elected a member elect the American Philosophical Society.

In 1943, she was elected to class American Academy of Arts stake Sciences. In 1952, she was given an “Award of Merit” by Radcliffe College. In 196, she was awarded the “Rittenhouse Medal” by the Franklin Institute

And in 1976, the American Astronomic Society awarded her the “Henry Norris Russell Prize.”  

Additionally, several colleges awarded her an honorary level including Wilson College (1942), Smith College (1943), Western College (1951), Colby College (1958), and excellence Women’s Medical College of Philadelphia (1961). 

Required Reading

In addition to chirography numerous highly significant scientific document during her career, between 1930 and 1957, Payne-Gaposchkin published 5 academic books—all of which build required reading in many academy astrophysics departments around the world.

References

, “Cecilia Payne and the Proportion of the Stars,” Cecilia Payne: Discoverer of the Chemical Greasepaint of Stars | AMNH 

, “Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin,” Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin | Nation Astronomer & Harvard Professor | Britannica 

, “Cecilia Helena Payne-Gaposchkin,” Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (1900 – 1979) – Biography – MacTutor History mean Mathematics () 

, “History of Systematic Women: Cecilia PAYNE-GAPOSCHKIN,” Cecilia PAYNE-GAPOSCHKIN () 

, “Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin: astronomer extraordinaire,”

, “Cecilia and Sergei: Earth Astronomers,”

, “Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin: Schooling and Doctoral Thesis,”