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You are invited to an event to mark the publication of ' Women in Early British and Irish Astronomy-Stars and Satellites' at 1800 in the Royal Astronomical Society on November 3, 2009, at 1800 GMT.
Dr Mary Bruck, who died last December, devoted her last book to the place of women in astronomy through the biographies of 25 women born between 1650 and 1900.While some are well known others have received less than their due recognition, often having occupied inconspicuous and sometimes thankless places as assistants to male family members. Collectively their lives trace the story of women's entry into the male world of science.
To mark the occasion Mona Evans will give a presentation on Caroline Herschel, the first woman to be awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1828 ( the next woman to receive it was in 1996!). In 1781, a German-born musician observing with a home-made telescope from his back garden in Bath, England, discovered a new planet, the first to be found since ancient times. We now call it Uranus. This unexpected discovery, which doubled the size of the known Solar System, propelled William Herschel to international celebrity. But that was only the start. Sponsored by the king of England, he and his sister Caroline spent the rest of their lives surveying the heavens, making Caroline the first female professional astronomer. This is the story of their remarkable partnership and the revolution it wrought in our knowledge of the Universe, with particular emphasis on the role of the usually unheralded Caroline.
Jacqueline and Simon Mitton Total Astronomy Limited will talk about Mary Bruck and her book, the second to appear in the new series published for the RAS by Springer. The programme will conclude with a drinks reception.
Please contact Lara Maisey ( lkm@ras.org.uk ) if you wish to attend
