Maria Mitchell made many contributions to the world of the sciences. She was America's first woman astronomer, a teacher that helped establish Vassar University, and the first woman to ever be elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.
Even as a child Maria was curious and had incredible observational skills. Her father was an amateur astronomer and helped her develop her scientific abilities. She would often join him on their houses widow's walk, a large deck around the upper floor of the house, where they would observe the stars and make calculations. Her studies gave her a passion for accuracy.
She got a job as a librarian at the Nantucket Athenaeum in 1836. This job allowed her the time and resources to continue to study mathematics and navigation. Her father and she built a small "observatory" on top of their house and the U.S. Coast Survey provided them with a new four-inch telescope with which they did official observations. William Bond, the director of the Harvard Observatory, assisted them.
Maria made an exciting discovery on the night of October 1, 1847. While looking into the night sky she found a comet that had not yet been discovered. The comet was named after her, and she was honored by the king of Denmark when her gave her a gold medal. She also received honors from the Smithsonian Institution and the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences.
She traveled to Europe where they also knew of her findings. She met and talked with several famous mathematicians and scientists. When she returned to America a group of influential women presented her with a new five-inch telescope. This instrument would allow her to make observations that would be more accurate. In 1858, using the new telescope, she independently discovered Donati's Comet.
In 1865 the director of Vassar, a new women's college that was built to match the best men's college, offered her a teaching position. She was surprised and honored by the request and soon become an important part of the staff. She was quite a different teacher then most. She taught her students to, "Question Everything." Many of her students became well known scientists. In 1873 she founded the Association for the Advancement of Women.
Mitchell never stopped researching. She took photos of sunspots and studied the surfaces of different planets. She died in 1889, but not before she became a legend.
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