Maria Mitchell & Carolyn Shoemaker

This is Maria Mitchell's comet. (http://cr4.globalspec.com/PostImages/200909/miss-m ())

Maria Mitchell was born August 1st, 1818 in Nantucket, Massachusetts. She was the first professional woman astronomer in the United States. Her father inspired her to pursue astronomy as an interest. He strongly encouraged her use of his telescope to explore the night sky. From 1836 to 1856 she was a librarian at the Nantucket Athenaeum during the day, and often took the role of an unofficial teacher. At night, she regularly observed the night sky, clearly having an interest it. In October 1847, Maria Mitchell made a groundbreaking discovery. She established the orbit of a new comet. This discovery made her well known in the scientific community. The next year, 1848, she was the first woman elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Maria Mitchell led the daily photography of sunspots, and was the first to discover that sunspots were whirling vertical cavities, rather than clouds. She studied comets, nebulae, double stars, solar eclipses, and the satellites of Saturn and Jupiter. She was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1869. She aided in founding the Association for the Advancement of Women and served as its president from 1875-1876. Maria Mitchell retired from the college because of her failing health in 1888 and then died in 1889.

The comet Carolyn Shoemaker and David Levy found. (http://fas.org/irp/imint/docs/rst/Sect19/Sect19_23 ())

Carolyn Shoemaker was born June 24th 1929 in Gallup, New Mexico. Her family decided to move to Chico, California, because both of her parents like the town, and it contained a college for Carolyn to attend and for her older brother to attend when he was of age. Initially, Carolyn was not interested in astronomy, and didn't really like science. At her college, she got her Bachelor and Master degree in history and political science. At this point, she was undecided in what she wanted to pursue in her career. She became a high school teacher, but she was disappointed in teaching. She discovered that her skills weren't well suited for a teaching environment. Shoemaker joined forces with a fellow comet enthusiast at the Palomar Observatory in March of 1993. Together, they discovered a fragmented comet in orbit around Jupiter. In 1994, Carolyn Shoemaker had discovered 32 comets - more than anyone before her time. Carolyn brought to light the idea that women weren't really taken seriously in the science field. This is a similarity that both Maria Mitchell and Carolyn Shoemaker share. They both were influential women in the scientific field, and without a doubt challenged the idea that science is only a man's field.

If I were to carry on the work of Maria Mitchell and Carolyn Shoemaker, I would invest my time in encouraging women of all ages and backgrounds to pursue an interest in science. Women are heavily underrepresented in the scientific community, and I believe that Maria Mitchell and Carolyn Shoemaker's legacies can only be carried on through women engaging the scientific field, making discoveries, and changing the world with their actions. To implement these goals, I would seek out establishing clubs at schools that are inclusive for young women who are interested in science. Then, to follow through with establishing their careers in science, I would implement scholarship programs for young women wanting to major in science in their college/university studies. Furthermore, I would require a ratio of a certain number of women to men in scientific places of work, to ensure the fair treatment and employment of women in the workforce. All of these steps would carry on the diligent and highly influential work of Maria Mitchell and Carolyn Shoemaker - two of the most brilliant women astronomers.