Evelyn Frances Leland (c. 1870 - c. 1930) was an American
astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, g ...
and "
Harvard computer", one of the women who worked at the
Harvard College Observatory
The Harvard College Observatory (HCO) is an institution managing a complex of buildings and multiple instruments used for astronomical research by the Harvard University Department of Astronomy. It is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United St ...
with
Edward Pickering. She worked there from 1889 to 1925 as part of a team of low-paid assistants, initially earning 25 cents an hour.
The observatory's research on stellar spectra required meticulous analysis of numerous fragile glass plates on which light from distant bodies had been captured at the Arequipa Station in Peru, and then shipped to Harvard's campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
With other human "computers," Leland measured and calculated the brightness of the
stellar spectra
Astronomical spectroscopy is the study of astronomy using the techniques of spectroscopy to measure the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation, including visible light, ultraviolet, X-ray, infrared and radio waves that radiate from stars and othe ...
extensively, and discovered new
variable star
A variable star is a star whose brightness as seen from Earth (its apparent magnitude) changes with time. This variation may be caused by a change in emitted light or by something partly blocking the light, so variable stars are classified as ...
s as well as other "objects with peculiar spectra."
She also worked on publishing papers with others from the observatory.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leland, Evelyn
American women astronomers
1870s births
1930s deaths
Harvard Computers
19th-century American astronomers
20th-century American astronomers
20th-century American women scientists
19th-century American women scientists