Women Astronomers Reach for the Stars

Before 1900, a woman who wanted to study the stars had to have a father, brother, or husband to provide entry. For much of the 20th century, the doors of opportunity stayed closed to women astronomers. After decades of difficult struggles, they are closer to equality in astronomy than ever before.

In the new anthology The Sky Is for Everyone, co-editors Virginia Trimble and David A. Weintraub bring together the stories of the tough and determined women from the 1960s to today who flung the doors wide open, giving voice to the history of a transformative era in astronomy.

Trimble, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of California, Irvine, is joined by two other contributors to the book in a discussion of the experiences of women who broke down barriers and changed the face of modern astronomy: France A. Córdova, an astrophysicist and the 14th director of the National Science Foundation; and Sara Seager, a professor of planetary science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Andrea Dupree, associate director of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, moderates the conversation.  

The Sky Is for Everyone (Princeton University Press) is available for purchase.

Book Sale Information

• Purchase your copy of The Sky Is for Everyone edited by Virginia Trimble and David A. Weintraub here.
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