Cecilia helena payne gaposchkin biography of alberta

Cecilia Helena Payne-Gaposchkin was a British–American astronomer associated with the Women Astronomical Computers, a group of female astronomers and analysts at Harvard College Observatory (HCO).

She discovered the chemical composition of stars and, in particular, that hydrogen and helium are the most abundant elements in stars. From star spectra, she determined stellar temperatures and chemical abundances using the thermal ionization equations of Meghnad Saha.

Her work was of fundamental importance in the development of the field of stellar atmospheres, and her observations and analyses of variable stars laid the foundation for their use as indicators of galactic structure.

Read on for stories about Cecilia's life, work process, and contributions to science!

Archival Resources

See here for Oral history interviews from four women astronomers at the Harvard College Observatory, including Payne-Gaposchkin.

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