Two asteroids were named after the first female astronomers
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Two asteroids were named after astronomers Annie Maunder and Alice Everett. They were the first women in the world to make a living in astronomy. This was reported by The Guardian with reference to Herton College. Asteroid 2000 EH147 will henceforth be called Anniemaunder, and asteroid 2000 EO147 Aliceverett. Annie Maunder and Alice Everett were among the first members of the British Astronomical Association to propose their names for asteroids. Photo: HMP/Alamy “These were extraordinary women who did extraordinary things. They deserve their place in the sky,” Mike Frost, head of the history department of the British Astronomical Association, commented on the decision. Annie Maunder and Alice Everett began their scientific journey at the end of the 19th century. They both studied mathematics at Herton College, Cambridge University. Female astronomers did not have diplomas, as did all female Cambridge students until 1948. After their studies, Maunder and Everett got jobs as computer operators at Greenwich Royal Observatory. “The Astronomer Royal realized that Oxbridge (the collective name of Oxford and Cambridge universities – ed.) produced women who were very talented in mathematics and who could be hired cheaply,” said Mike Frost. Annie Maunder was paid £4 a month at the observatory. She was engaged in fixing sun spots. Later, the astronomer married her boss, Edward Walter Maunder, 17 years her senior. Because of this, she was forced to resign. However, Annie continued to work as a volunteer assistant to her husband. The astronomer traveled with him on an expedition, in one of which she managed to photograph a solar eclipse. In 1898, Maunder recorded a coronal emission from the Sun with a length of 10 million kilometers. Together, Annie and Edward created a “Maunder Butterfly” diagram that analyzes the migration of sunspots. However, only Edward was considered its author. Until 1916, Annie Maunder was not a member of the Royal Astronomical Society, so she could not publish scientific papers on her own behalf. In particular, about the discovery of the asymmetric nature of sunspots. In the preface to one of the joint books on astronomy, Edward Walter Mauner admitted that it was almost entirely written by Annie. Photo: RType/Depositphotos Alice Everett was able to record 22,000 stars in one year of work, and later published two scientific articles about their orbits. “She was offered a position at a large observatory but turned it down because they couldn’t figure out how to allow a woman to work there for practical reasons,” said Mike Frost. Everett also worked in the field of optics. In 1903, she became the first woman to write an article for the Journal of the Physical Society of London. Alice Everett worked at the National Physical Laboratory. Her colleague was the inventor of television, John Logie Byrd. “She was a pioneer of early television technology and one of the founders of the Royal Television Society,” Frost said. The head of Herton College, Elizabeth Kendall, said that the decision to name the asteroids in honor of Annie Maunder and Alice Everett is a recognition of the contribution of scientists to the development of astronomy. She also noted the special courage of the first female astronomers. “A lot of these women were used to having to fight to reach their potential. They knew they had to be better than the best men,” Elizabeth Kendall said. We previously reported that in 2046, one of the asteroids has a small chance of ruining Valentine’s Day. Read also: An asteroid exploded over the English Channel and entered the Earth’s atmosphere. VIDEO Author: Alyona Pavlyuk
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