Henrietta Swan Leavitt (1868-1921), one of our Women of Discovery, was an American astronomer, and her work helped pave the way for how astronomers now understand the structure and scale of our universe.Born in Lancaster, Massachusetts, she was a private person who focused on her career and was devoted to her church. It meant they could accurately calculate distances to nearby stars by measuring their changing brightnesses. She then established secondary standard sequences of from 15 to 22 reference stars in each of 48 selected “Harvard Standard Regions” of the sky, using photographs supplied by observatories around the world. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Which are the Largest Stars in the Universe? She discovered a means to rank stars's magnitudes using photographic plates, which became a … The study of variable stars by Henrietta Leavitt is her legacy to astronomy. Her research resulted in numerous advances within the field, the effects of which extended well beyond her lifetime. Develop and improve products. Leavitt attended Oberlin College for two years (1886–88) and then transferred to the Society for the Collegiate Instruction of Women (later Radcliffe College), from which she graduated in 1892. His work was based on Henrietta Leavitt's work on the period-luminosity relationship. A new phase of the work began in 1907 with Pickering’s ambitious plan to ascertain photographically standardized values for stellar magnitudes. When she … A graduate of Radcliffe College, Leavitt started working at the Harvard College Observatory as a "computer" in 1893, examining photographic plates in order to measure and catalog the brightness of the stars. Her co-workers described her as pleasant and friendly, and very focused on the importance of the work she was doing. Carolyn Collins Petersen is an astronomy expert and the author of seven books on space science. It's the same instrument that Clyde Tombaugh used in the 1930s to discover Pluto. One of the computers was Henrietta Swan Leavitt, whose discovery of the relationship between the luminosity and period of variable stars called Cepheids is still the basis for much of our knowledge about distances in space. The discovery became important to the measurement of interstellar and intergalactic distances. Henrietta Swan Leavitt (1868-1921) was an American astronomer of the first magnitude. These standards were published in 1912 and 1917. As a young child, her family moved to Cleveland, Ohio. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. (2020, August 27). Corrections? At Harvard College Observatory (now the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), women computers studied glass plate photographs of the night sky. Henrietta Swan Leavitt is a glorious exception, and with her, a whole group of lady astronomers who, under Dr. Edward C. Pickering of Harvard, made it their mission to survey the stars. One century ago, in 1912, an astronomer named Henrietta Swan Leavitt made a discovery that was to become one of the cornerstones of modern astronomical science. Leavitt never married and was considered a serious, church-going woman with little time to waste on more frivolous aspects of life. Without Leavitt's important work, astronomers wouldn't have been able to calculate cosmic distances. In this work she was associated with the older Williamina Fleming and the more nearly contemporary Annie Jump Cannon. The Mystery of Variable Stars. Leavitt analyzed photographs of the heavens recording … At the time of her death, she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the American Association of University Women, the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Cepheid variables, as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope. Petersen, Carolyn Collins. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. From the outset she was employed in the observatory’s great project, begun by Edward C. Pickering, of determining the brightnesses of all measurable stars. Omissions? Following an interest aroused in her senior year, she became a volunteer assistant in the Harvard Observatory in 1895. Parents: George Roswell Leavitt and Henrietta Swan. ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/astronomer-henrietta-leavitt-4160258. Use precise geolocation data. He directed a group of women, dubbed merely as "computers". While Leavitt was not officially recognized during her life for her seminal work, Harlow Shapley, the astronomer who took over as the Harvard Observatory director, did recognize her worth and made her Head of Stellar Photometry in 1921. Henrietta Swan Leavitt was an astronomer who worked at the Harvard College Observatory at the turn of the twentieth century. About the Project. Biography of Annie Jump Cannon, Classifier of Stars, Maria Mitchell: First Woman in US Who Was a Professional Astronomer, Mount Wilson Observatory: Where Astronomy History Was Made, Welcome to the Galactic Neighborhood: the Local Group of Galaxies, Clyde Tombaugh used in the 1930s to discover Pluto, Henrietta Leavitt—Celebrating the Forgotten Astronomer, 1912: Henrietta Leavitt Discovers the Distance Key, Miss Leavitt's Stars: The Untold Story of the Woman Who Discovered How to Measure the Universe, M.S., Journalism and Mass Communications, University of Colorado - Boulder. Leavitt's work provided the "standard candle" in the cosmic darkness they could use to find out just how far away things were. She liked it. D escribed by those who knew her as friendly and pleasant, … Leavitt’s job was to analyse the many photographic plates. Henrietta Swan Leavitt — born on Independence Day a century and a half ago — conducted research that led to two of the most surprising and important discoveries in the history of astrophysics while working at Harvard College Observatory in Cambridge, now part of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA). Pickering hired local women, who were willing to work for less money, to do the tedious work of measuring stars from thousands of photographic plates. However, it was difficult to prove what they were without accurate ways of measuring stellar distances. She began to lose her hearing as a young woman due to a condition that only worsened with time. At first, Leavitt took on the project for no pay (since she had her own income), but eventually, she was hired at a rate of thirty cents an hour. Leavitt tracked hundreds of Cepheid variables in the Small Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy near the milky way, and determined their periods and apparent Her system remained in general use until improved technology made possible photoelectrical measurements of far greater accuracy. For more information about Henrietta Leavitt and her contributions to astronomy, see: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. For one thing, until the mid 1920s, astronomers largely thought that the Milky Way was the entirety of the universe. Leavitt, Henrietta S.; [no usage]) found : Wikipedia, Aug. 23, 2013 (Henrietta Swan Leavitt, born July 4, 1868 in Lancaster, Massachusetts; died December 12, 1921 in Cambridge, Massachusetts; American astronomer; graduate of Radcliffe College; known for discovering … Henrietta Swan Leavitt was born in Lancaster, Massachusetts, as daughter among seven children of Congregational church minister George Roswell Leavitt and his wife Henrietta Swan (Kendrick). Biography of Edwin Hubble: the Astronomer Who Discovered the Universe, Summer Astronomy Programs for High School Students, How Redshift Shows the Universe is Expanding, The Woman Who Explained the Sun and Stars. Henrietta Swan Leavitt was an American astronomer who discovered the relation between the luminosity and the period of Cepheid variable stars. Select basic ads. Devising new methods of analysis, she determined their magnitudes and then those of a much larger sample in the same region, extending the scale of standard brightnesses down to the 21st magnitude. The Life and Discoveries of Astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Select personalised ads. Leavitt's careful work measuring the brightness of variable stars, forms the basis of astronomical understanding of such topics as distances in the universe and the evolution of stars. While working at Harvard College Observatory in Cambridge, Mass. As a college student, she studied a number of subjects, falling in love with astronomy during her years at what later became Radcliffe College. – now part of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) – in the late 19th and early 20th century, Leavitt conducted research that led to two of the most surprising and important discoveries in the history of astrophysics. Apply market research to generate audience insights. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henrietta-Swan-Leavitt, Engineering and Technology History Wiki - Biography of Henrietta Swan Leavitt, Famous Scientists - Biography of Henrietta Swan Leavitt, Henrietta Swan Leavitt - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). "The Life and Discoveries of Astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt." For astronomers, her discovery of the "period-luminosity relationship" was huge. -Henrietta Swan Leavitt-But the yardstick still had to be calibrated. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. American astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt was known for her discovery of the relationship between period and luminosity in Cepheid variables (pulsating stars that vary regularly in brightness in periods ranging from a few days to several months). List of Partners (vendors). The most dramatic application was Hubble’s use in 1924 of a Cepheid variable to determine the distance to the great nebula in Andromeda, which was the first distance measurement for a galaxy outside the Milky Way. She is responsible for the theroys of modern day Algebra as we know it today.∼Information provided by Julie (Member#47423887)- thank you! What he found was astonishing: the galaxy was outside our own. Henrietta Swan Leavitt – Early Years. Pickering. She went to two colleges. Henrietta Swan Leavitt (1868-1921) was a U.S. astronomer whose work guided the field to understand distances in the universe. She spent some years traveling around the world before settling back in the Boston area to pursue further studies and work in astronomy. She was born in Lancaster Massachusetts. Through her analysis of pulsating stars called Cepheid variables, she determined that the time between pulses relates to the Cepheid’s brightness. – Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1921. december 12.) Henrietta Leavitt's persistence and attention to detail led to the discovery of how to measure the ​size of the universe. Henrietta Swan Leavitt at work on cataloging stars while at Harvard Observatory. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. The project involved careful comparisons of stars by looking at photographs of star fields taken several weeks apart to look for variable stars. Education: Oberlin College (1886-88), Society for the Collegiate Instruction of  Women (to become Radcliffe College) graduated 1892. Others argued they were not. The upper right image is a closeup of the starfield. Her North Polar Sequence was adopted for the Astrographic Map of the Sky, an international project undertaken in 1913, and by the time of her death she had completely determined magnitudes for stars in 108 areas of the sky. A number of astronomers began using her work to do just that, including the famous Ejnar Hertzsprung (who devised a classification diagram for stars called the "Hertzsprung-Russell diagram"), and measured several Cepheids in the Milky Way. Biography Henrietta Swan Leavitt's parents were George Roswell Leavitt (1838-1911) and Henrietta Swan Kendrick (1844-1922).George Roswell Leavitt was a Congregationalist minister, born in Lowell, Massachusetts, who had studied at Williams College before being awarded a doctorate in divinity from the Andover Theological Seminary. These are stars that have very steady and regular variations in their brightnesses. Leavitt attended Oberlin College and in 1892 graduated from the Society for the Collegiate Instruction for Women, now known as Radcliffe College. About the Project. At Harvard College Observatory (now the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), women computers studied glass plate photographs of the night sky. The author of today’s classic papers, Henrietta Swan Leavitt, was one of the ‘computers’ employed at the Harvard College Observatory along with Williamina Fleming and Annie Jump Cannon. Henrietta Swan Leavitt is buried in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She discovered a means to rank stars's magnitudes using photographic plates, which became a standard in the field. Henrietta Swan Leavitt was born on July 4, 1869, in Massachusetts to George Roswell Leavitt and Henrietta Swan. Legacy: Discovery of period-luminosity relation in variables (1912), led to a law that allowed astronomers to calculate cosmic distance; the discovery of more than 2,400 variable stars; developed a standard for photographic measurements of stars, later named the Harvard Standard. These "computers" conducted important astronomy research by studying photograph plates of the sky and cataloging characteristics of stars. Project PHaEDRA - Henrietta Swan Leavitt #05. Henrietta Swan Leavitt was one of many women "computers" who worked at Harvard University, cataloging stars around the turn of the last century. Then she changed schools. This Hubble image shows the Andromeda Galaxy and the variable star that Edwin P. Hubble used to determine the distance to Andromeda. Henrietta Swan Leavitt, (born July 4, 1868, Lancaster, Massachusetts, U.S.—died December 12, 1921, Cambridge, Massachusetts), American astronomer known for her discovery of the relationship between period and luminosity in Cepheid variables, pulsating stars that vary regularly in brightness in periods ranging from a few days to several months. Leavitt's main focus was a certain type of star called a Cepheid variable. In 1893 she began working at Harvard College Observatory under the direction of astronomer E.C. From overcoming oppression, to breaking rules, to reimagining the world or waging a rebellion, these women of history have a story to tell. That meant the universe was much larger than astronomers understood at the time. A graduate of Radcliffe College, in 1893 Leavitt started working at the Harvard College Observatory as a "computer", tasked with examining photographic plates in order to measure and catalog the brightness of stars. Harvard Observatory – First Experiences. After she graduated from Radcliffe, she had become ill. She recovered but was almost completely … The lower right image shows his chart and notes upon discovery. In the years since her death, she has been honored by having her name placed on a lunar crater, and asteroid 5383 Leavitt carries her name. She discovered a number of them in the photographic plates and carefully cataloged their luminosities and the period of time between their minimum and maximum brightnesses. At a time when women's contributions were undervalued, attributed to male scientists, or ignored, Leavitt's findings were seminal to astronomy as we understand it today. During the course of her work, Leavitt discovered and cataloged 1,777 variables. Pickering took credit for much of Leavitt's work, building his own reputation on it. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The first was called Oberlin. One result of her work on stellar magnitudes was her discovery of 4 novas and some 2,400 variable stars, the latter figure comprising more than half of all those known even by 1930. She was honored by the American Association of Variable Star Observers, and her publications and observations are archived at AAVSO and Harvard. Leavitt was born in in Lancaster, Massachusetts, in 1868 and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. Henrietta Swan Leavitt was a Harvard "computer" — one of several women in the early 1900s who studied photographic plates for fundamental … Measure ad performance. Henrietta Swan Leavitt: Henrietta Swan Leavitt was born on July 4, 1868. Create a personalised content profile. After charting a number of these stars, she noticed a curious fact: that the period of time it took for a star to go from bright to dim and back again was related to its absolute magnitude (the brightness of the star as it would appear from a distance of 10 parsecs (32.6 light-years). ThoughtCo. Permanent staff appointment to Harvard Observatory: 1902 and became head of stellar photometry. Henrietta Leavitt 1868 - 1921 Henrietta Leavitt … Ennek alkalmazásával állapítják meg a csillagászok a világegyetem távoli pontjainak távolságát. Project PHaEDRA - Henrietta Swan Leavitt #26. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Meet extraordinary women who dared to bring gender equality and other issues to the forefront. Petersen, Carolyn Collins. In 1912 Leavitt had found that there was a close correlation between the periods of pulsation (variations in light) and the luminosities (intrinsic, or absolute, brightnesses) of a class of stars called Cepheid variables in the Small Magellanic…. Her research resulted in numerous advances within the field, the effects of which extended well beyond her lifetime. And yet, during her lifetime she received neither plaudits, nor acclaim, nor even serious recognition from her peers. This image was … Petersen, Carolyn Collins. On this Independence Day a century and a half ago, Henrietta Swan Leavitt was born. Henrietta Leavitt was a world class Astronomer who was a member of the faculty at Harvard University. https://www.thoughtco.com/astronomer-henrietta-leavitt-4160258 (accessed May 13, 2021). The problem was given to Leavitt, who began with a sequence of 46 stars in the vicinity of the north celestial pole. With measurements of other Cepheids in other galaxies, astronomers came to understand distances in the cosmos. Born and raised in Lancaster, Massachusetts, she graduated from ‘Harvard University.’ Create a personalised ads profile. "The Life and Discoveries of Astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt." She made the fundamental discovery that led to the Hubble expanding universe discovery, and she didn't get credit for it for years. Today, astronomers routinely use such "candles" even as they still seek to understand why these stars vary in their brightness over time. Select personalised content. A typical Cepheid variable star called RS Puppis. The subsequent calibration of the period-luminosity curve allowed American astronomers Edwin Hubble, Harlow Shapley, and others to determine the distances of many Cepheid stars and consequently of the star clusters and galaxies in which they were observed. Ejnar Hertzsprung and American astronomer Harlow Shapley went on to calibrate the relationship in terms of absolute magnitudes. Henrietta Leavitt 1868 - 1921. Women could be … Leavitt continued her work at the Harvard Observatory until her death. Measure content performance. It allowed astronomer Edwin P. Hubble to use a Cepheid variable in the nearby Andromeda Galaxy to calculate the distance to it. She also worked on refining standards for photographic measurements of stars called the Harvard Standard. Henrietta Swan Leavitt (1868-1921) was an American astronomer of the first magnitude. Henrietta Swan Leavitt (4 iulie 1868, Lancaster, Massachusetts—12 decembrie 1921, Cambridge, Massachusetts) a fost o astronomă americană renumită pentru munca sa privitoare la stelele variabile. Henrietta Swan Leavitt (Lancaster, Massachusetts, 1868. július 4. Henrietta Swan Leavitt - Lady of Luminosity Henrietta Swan Leavitt was born on July 4, 1868 in Lancaster, Massachusetts. Hubble could easily measure the Cepheid’s period.…, period-luminosity (P-L) relation discovered by Henrietta Leavitt of the Harvard College Observatory. Little is known about her private life. Henrietta Swan Leavitt, (born July 4, 1868, Lancaster, Massachusetts, U.S.—died December 12, 1921, Cambridge, Massachusetts), American astronomer known for her discovery of the relationship between period and luminosity in Cepheid variables, pulsating stars that vary regularly in brightness in periods ranging from a few days to several months. Henrietta Swan Leavitt was an American astronomer whose extensive research led other scientists to discover the ever-expanding nature of the universe. The vastly increased accuracy permitted by photographic techniques, which unlike the subjective eye were not misled by the different colours of the stars, depended upon the establishment of a basic sequence of standard magnitudes for comparison. Leavitt’s outstanding achievement was her discovery in 1912 that in a certain class of variable stars, the Cepheid variables, the period of the cycle of fluctuation in brightness is highly regular and is determined by the actual luminosity of the star. This image was made by data taken by Hubble Space Telescope. In 1902 she received a permanent staff appointment. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Henrietta Leavitt was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the daughter of a Congregational minister. At least one book has been published about her and her name is usually cited as part of the history of astronomical contributions. Even today, the period-luminosity relationship is an important part of the astronomer's toolbox. Updates? Henrietta Swan Leavitt (4. heinäkuuta 1868 – 12. joulukuuta 1921) oli yhdysvaltalainen astronomi, joka kehitti luminositeetin eli tähtien säteilytehon mittamisen tutkiessaan sykkiviä Kefeiditähtiä.Hän julkaisi periaatteen vuosina 1908 ja 1912. She previously worked on a Hubble Space Telescope instrument team. She was also the first person to determine the correlation between Cepheid variables and brightness. Henrietta Leavitt continued her research until just before her death, always thinking of herself as an astronomer, despite her start as a nameless "computer" in Pickering's department. Henrietta Swan Leavitt (1868–1921) was an astronomer whose research led to two of the most important discoveries in the field. Her analysis led to a way to catalog star luminosities across seventeen different magnitude levels and is still used today, along with other methods to determine a star's temperature and brightness. Store and/or access information on a device. The second school was called Radcliffe College. Right before she graduated from Radcliffe she took a class in astronomy. Henrietta Swan Leavitt (July 4, 1868 – December 12, 1921) was an American astronomer. Such luminaries as astronomer Edwin P. Hubble praised her, stating that his own discoveries rested largely on her accomplishments. Some astronomers insisted they were part of the Milky Way. Leavitt soon advanced from routine work to a position as head of the photographic stellar photometry department. The women were not allowed to operate telescopes, which limited their ability to conduct their own research. Leavittin työn pohjalta Edwin Hubble ja Vesto Slipher määrittelivät, että universumi on laajeneva (Hubblen laki). Leavitt used an instrument called a "blink comparator" which allowed her to measure brightness changes of stars. Henrietta Swan Leavitt was born in Massachusetts and studied at Harvard University. There was much debate about the mysterious "spiral nebulae" that they saw through telescopes and in photographs. amerikai amatőr csillagász, a változócsillagok fényességváltozási periódusa és abszolút fényessége közötti összefüggés felfedezője. Although it was later discovered that there are actually two different types of Cepheid variable, the same method can still be applied separately to each type. It was one thing to use the variability of Cepheids to determine distances in the Milky Way—essentially in our cosmic "back yard"—but quite another to apply Leavitt's period-luminosity law to objects beyond it. Henrietta Swan Leavitt I was telling my chemist father about this album project and he immediately said "You should write a song about Henrietta Leavitt! We didn’t just want to know that one object is farther away than another—we needed numeric, quantitative, distance. Henrietta Swan Leavitt. A typical Cepheid variable star called RS Puppis. This prevented her from being nominated for a Nobel Prize for her contributions. By that time, Leavitt was already suffering from cancer, and she died the same year. Henrietta Leavitt's work changed that. In 1908 American astronomer Henrietta Leavitt had found a relationship between the period and the brightness: the brighter the Cepheid, the longer its period. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/astronomer-henrietta-leavitt-4160258. Any questions involved careful comparisons of stars called the Harvard Observatory in 1895 photographs of the astronomer 's.! This Hubble image shows the Andromeda Galaxy and the more nearly contemporary Jump... Stars in the Harvard College Observatory ( now the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for )... They saw through telescopes and in photographs head of the sky and cataloging characteristics of stars mid 1920s astronomers... Closeup of the sky and cataloging characteristics of stars called the Harvard standard previously worked on a Hubble Telescope! 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