Annie Jump Cannon
Personal Information
Born: 1863
Died: 1941
Country of Birth: USA
Nationality: USA
Ethnicity: White
Education
1884 BA, 1907 MA, Physics & Astronomy, Wellesley College; 1898, Astronomy classes, Radcliffe College
Professional Life
Field of Study: Astronomy
Institution/Corporation: Harvard College Observatory
Degrees & Memberships: Honorary Degree: Groningen University 1921, Oglethorpe University 1935, Oxford University 1925; Member: National Women s Party, Honorary Member Royal Astronomical Society 1914, American Astronomical Society, Maria Mitchell Association
Awards & Achievements
Awards: 1932, Ellen Richards Prize; 1931, 1st woman to receive Henry Draper Medal; 1929, named 1 of the Greatest Living American Women by League of Women Voters; Lunar crater Cannon and asteroid 1120 Cannon named after her; 1994, National Women s Hall of Fame; 2019, depicted on Delaware s American Innovation $1 coin;
Achievements: with Edward C. Pickering, created Harvard Classification Scheme; developed mneumonic Oh!Be A Fine Girl-Kiss Me used by students to memorize the spectral classification of stars; nearly deaf after scarlet fever, 1893; suffragist; member of national Women s Party; discovered her 1st star 1898 but not confirmed until 1905; 1901, published her 1st catalogue of stellar spectra; 1911, made Curator of Astronomical Photographs at Harvard; 1922, International Astronomical Union formally adopted her stellar classification system &, with minor changes, is still used today; 1933, created the Annie J. Cannon Prize with money she won from 1 of her own awards; 1938, became William C. Bond Astronomer at Harvard University; classified approximately 350,000 stars, discovered 300 variable stars, 5 novas & 1 spectrographic binary
Known as the "census taker of the skies"
Classified approx 350,000 stars manually
Was approx 30 years old when she contracted scarlet fever that left her deaf in 1893
discovered approx 300 variable stars, 5 novas, and 1 binary spectroscopic
1892, travelled through Europe taking photos; some were published in a pamphlet called "In the Footsteps of Columbus" & were distributed at the Chicago World's Expo of 1893 as souvenirs
By 1913 was able to classify 200 stars an hour; could classify 3 stars a minute just by looking at their spectral patterns &, if using a magnifying glass, could classify stars down to the 9th magnitude, around 16 times faster than the human eye can see
1922, spent 6 months in Arequipa, Peru to photograph stars in the southern hemisphere
1925, 1st woman recipient of an honorary doctorate from Oxford University
1931, 1st female recipient of the Henry Draper Medal
With Edward C. Pickering created the Harvard Classification Scheme
Developed the mnemonic "Oh! Be a Fine Girl-Kiss Me" used by students to memorize the spectral classification of stars
1922, the International Astronomical Union adopted her stellar classification system with minor changes & it is still used today