Edward Pickering and His Women Computers

In the 42 years that Edward Pickering directed the Harvard College Observatory, he and his team of women "computers" made strides in promoting the new field of astrophotography, discovered the first spectroscopic binary star system, and cataloged more than 225,000 stars. Pickering hired women such as Henrietta Leavitt, who found a way to measure the distances to faraway stars, and Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, whose later work became the foundation for astrophysics, to process astronomical data gathered at the observatory. The advances these women made under Pickering's direction broadened the window of professional opportunity for women as well as our greater understanding of the universe. This new title highlights the lives of Pickering and his women "computers."