MITCHELL Mary (Mitchell Maria)

(1818-1889)
Born Aug. 1, 1818 at o.Nantaket (pc. Mass.). The third of ten children in the family, Maria received a home education: mainly taught her father - who is well educated and a lover of astronomy. In the 12 years she helped him to capture moments of contact during a ring-shaped shadow of a solar eclipse in 1831, and by age 14 became an authorized official chronometers for whaling ships Nantucket. From 1836 to 1856 Mitchell worked as a librarian Public Library, Nantucket, where read many books on astronomy and natural sciences. In 1847, with a telescope for the first time in the history of astronomy has opened a weak comet, invisible to the naked eye. For this discovery was awarded the Gold Medal, established by King Frederik of Denmark, and in 1848 became the first woman elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Mitchell is also involved in computing for the Nautical Almanac, in its task was to prepare an annual ephemeris of the planet Venus.
In 1865, Mitchell became the first female professor of astronomy at Vassar College, humanitarian and director of the observatory; held this post until his retirement in 1888. Mitchell was an excellent teacher, many of her students became well-known scientists. Died in Lynne Mitchell (pc. Massachusetts) 28 June 1889.