Cecilia and the sun
...a dispatch from bewilderness
Many of us know that Isaac Newton discovered gravity, that Charles Darwin discovered evolution, and that Albert Einstein discovered the relativity of time. But few know that Cecilia Payne discovered the universe — or rather how it’s composed.
When it comes to its composition, the textbooks simply say that the most abundant atom in the universe is hydrogen. And no one ever wonders how we know. Here’s how. Because of Cecilia Payne. She discovered what the universe is made of — and what the sun and stars are made of, too.
Dr. Payne began her scientific career in a world which did not welcome women in science. She studied physics at Cambridge University in England, then moved to Massachusetts and earned a doctorate at at Harvard when she realized she could not advance at Cambridge.
Her 1925 thesis was described by famed astronomer Otto Struve as “the most brilliant PhD thesis ever written in astronomy.” Her research, initially rejected, revealed that stars are primarily composed of hydrogen and helium, not heavy elements like those that compose earth’s crust, as had been believed before.
Dr. Payne became the first student to earn a Ph.D. in astronomy at Harvard University. She also became one of the first women to advance to the rank of professor at Harvard University and the first woman to head a department there. She married Sergey Gaposchkin, a Russian astronomer, and raised three kids while also discovering the chemistry of stars.
Fyi, since her death in 1979, Dr. Payne has not received so much as a memorial plaque.
Many of us know that Isaac Newton discovered gravity, that Charles Darwin discovered evolution, and that Albert Einstein discovered the relativity of time. But few know that Cecilia Payne discovered the universe.
Thank you for keeping this pioneering astronomer's memory alive! This is another example of how gender bias tried to extinguish a brilliant person from history. Your essay makes me wonder want other woman or people of color have been relegated to the "dust pile" of the past?