Annie Jump Cannon
Annie Jump Cannon was a female astronomer born in 1863 in Dover, Delaware. She was the eldest daughter of Delaware state senator Wilson Cannon. Annie became interested in astronomy as a child, as her mother, Mary Jump, taught her about the constellations. During her childhood, she developed a cold, which eventually made her go deaf, although it took years to go completely deaf.
She attended Wellesley College to study physics and astronomy; she graduated in 1884. Ten years after graduating, she returned to Wellesley to pursue advanced astronomy studies. Following that, she wanted to study under Edward C Pickering at Radcliffe. Pickering was the director of the Harvard College Observatory, whom she became an assistant to in 1896. The women who worked for Pickering were known as “calculators” or “Pickering’s Women” who did calculations and worked for 50 cents an hour to catalog stars. During her time as one of “Pickering’s Women,” she became known as the “census taker of the stars” and helped to create the system we use today to classify stars. Stars are classified by temperature, therefore by color as discovered by her co-worker, Henrietta Swan Leavitt, into groups named O (50,000-100,000 degrees Fahrenheit), B (17,500-50,000), A (13,000-17,500), F (10,500-13,000), G (8,500-10,500), K (6,000-8,500) and M (3,000-6,000).
Cannon was named as the successor to Williamina Fleming as curator at the Harvard Observatory of astronomical photographs. Then, in 1938, she was named the William Cranch Bond Professor of Astronomy. Bond was an amateur astronomer who, in the late 1800s, was allowed to move his personal astronomy equipment to Harvard and served as its {unpaid} Astronomical Observer to the University. Over several years, he brought enough interest to astronomy, that Harvard raised enough money to build a state of the art observatory.
My research showed quite a variation in the quantity of stars that Cannon classified. The number ranges from 225,000 to
She attended Wellesley College to study physics and astronomy; she graduated in 1884. Ten years after graduating, she returned to Wellesley to pursue advanced astronomy studies. Following that, she wanted to study under Edward C Pickering at Radcliffe. Pickering was the director of the Harvard College Observatory, whom she became an assistant to in 1896. The women who worked for Pickering were known as “calculators” or “Pickering’s Women” who did calculations and worked for 50 cents an hour to catalog stars. During her time as one of “Pickering’s Women,” she became known as the “census taker of the stars” and helped to create the system we use today to classify stars. Stars are classified by temperature, therefore by color as discovered by her co-worker, Henrietta Swan Leavitt, into groups named O (50,000-100,000 degrees Fahrenheit), B (17,500-50,000), A (13,000-17,500), F (10,500-13,000), G (8,500-10,500), K (6,000-8,500) and M (3,000-6,000).
Cannon was named as the successor to Williamina Fleming as curator at the Harvard Observatory of astronomical photographs. Then, in 1938, she was named the William Cranch Bond Professor of Astronomy. Bond was an amateur astronomer who, in the late 1800s, was allowed to move his personal astronomy equipment to Harvard and served as its {unpaid} Astronomical Observer to the University. Over several years, he brought enough interest to astronomy, that Harvard raised enough money to build a state of the art observatory.
My research showed quite a variation in the quantity of stars that Cannon classified. The number ranges from 225,000 to