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Williamina Paton Stevens Fleming (15 May 1857 – 21 May 1911) was a Scottish astronomer. She was a single mother hired by the director of the Harvard College Observatory to help in the photographic classification of stellar spectra.
As 21-year-old Williamina Paton Fleming steamed across the Atlantic toward Boston in November 1878, she had no idea how brightly the stars overhead would shine in her future. One of nine children of a Scottish craftsman and his wife, she already knew the cold reality of family survival.
May 17, 2024 · Williamina Paton Stevens Fleming (born May 15, 1857, Dundee, Tayside [now in Dundee], Scotland—died May 21, 1911, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.) was an American astronomer who pioneered in the classification of stellar spectra.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Learn about the life and achievements of Williamina Fleming, who worked as a maid and a star cataloguer at Harvard College Observatory. She developed a system of classifying stars by hydrogen spectra, discovered thousands of stars and nebulae, and was the first woman to be elected as an honorary member of the Royal Astronomical Society of London.
Jul 7, 2022 · From #maidlife to #astronomerlife, single mother Williamina Fleming devoted her life to studying and discovering stars and other space phenomena. Her achievements, including mentoring other...
Williamina Fleming received considerable recognition for her work and became the leading female astronomer of her day. She was made an honorary member of the Royal Astronomical Society of London in 1906, and was presented with a medal by the Astronomical Society of Mexico.
May 6, 2020 · Williamina Fleming went from doing domestic work to being appointed the Curator of Astronomical Photographs at the Harvard College Observatory, making her the first woman to hold a title at...
