By Zahrah
Who She Was:
Annie Jump Cannon dubbed the "census taker of the sky," was a talented astronomer who revolutionized how scientists classified stars. She not only created the essential Harvard spectral system, but she also painstakingly catalogued over 350,000 stars manually. She was the first woman to get a Doctor of Astronomy degree from Groningen University, the first woman to receive an honorary degree from Oxford University, and the first woman to receive the National Academy of Sciences' Henry Draper Medal in 1931.
Where She Studied:
Annie Jump Cannon was born on December 11, 1863, in Dover, Delaware. The first daughter of Wilson Lee Cannon and Mary Elizabeth Jump, Annie Cannon was inspired by her mother to pursue science. Although Cannon suffered from hearing loss at a very young age, she continued to excel in her studies. Cannon enrolled at Wellesley College to study physics and astronomy and graduated as the valedictorian of her class. In 1895, Cannon registered as a special student in astronomy at Radcliffe College, staying there for two years.
The newly elected director of the Harvard College Observatory, Edward C. Pickering, had put Williamina P. Fleming in charge of hiring a staff of women assistants. Between 1885 and 1900, Fleming selected 20 assistants— including Cannon, who joined the staff in 1896—to sort photographs of stellar spectra.
How She Impacted the Field of Astronomy:
Cannon's early work was mostly concerned with variable stars. Her most significant contributions continue to be in the realm of stellar spectral categorization. On the photographic plates, she discovered approximately 300 variable stars. A substantial number were discovered based on spectral features. The spectra of stars had been divided into numerous groups at Harvard, in alphabetical order (A, B, C, and so on). Cannon developed the canonical Harvard spectral classification scheme. She reorganized groupings, deleted some letters, added some, and created new subdivisions. She demonstrated that the great majority of stars are only representatives of a few species. With a few exceptions, these few spectral categories can be organized in a continuous series. After five years of research (1896-1901), Cannon published a description of 1,122 of the brighter star in 1901
recognition
Honorary degrees were bestowed upon Cannon by the University of Delaware, Oglethorpe University, and Mount Holyoke College. In 1925, she became the first woman to be awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Oxford. She was awarded the National Academy of Sciences' Henry Draper Gold Medal. Cannon was also the first female officer in the American Astronomical Society. The Annie J. Cannon Award, which Cannon established, is still given by the organization. The award is given to a great female astronomer at the start of her career. Cannon stepped down in 1940. She died in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on April 13, 1941.
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