The following is a list of

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, moons, comets and galaxies – in either o ...

s, astrophysicists and other notable women who have made contributions to the field of

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

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* Madge Adam (1912–2001), English solar astronomer *

Maggie Aderin-Pocock Margaret Ebunoluwa Aderin-Pocock (; born 9 March 1968) is a British space scientist and science educator. She is an honorary research associate of University College London's Department of Physics and Astronomy. Since February 2014, she has co ...

(born 1968), English space scientist * Conny Aerts (born 1966), Belgian astrophysicist specializing in

asteroseismology Asteroseismology or astroseismology is the study of oscillations in stars. Stars have many resonant modes and frequencies, and the path of sound waves passing through a star depends on the speed of sound, which in turn depends on local temperatur ...

Aglaonike Aglaonice or Aganice of Thessaly ( grc, Ἀγλαονίκη, ''Aglaoníkē'', compound of αγλαὸς (''aglaòs'') "luminous" and νίκη (''nikē'') "victory") was a Greek astronomer and thaumaturge of the 2nd or 1st century BC.Pet ...

(c. 1st or 2nd Century BCE), ancient Greek astronomer and thaumaturge * María Luisa Aguilar Hurtado (1938–2015), Peruvian astronomer * Eva Ahnert-Rohlfs (1912–1954), German variable star astronomer * Elizabeth Alexander (1908–1958), English geologist and physicist * Leah Allen (1884–1973), American astronomer and educator * Adelaide Ames (1900 - 1932), American astronomer * Anja Cetti Andersen (born 1965), Danish astronomer focused on

cosmic dust Cosmic dust, also called extraterrestrial dust, star dust or space dust, is dust which exists in outer space, or has fallen on Earth. Most cosmic dust particles measure between a few molecules and 0.1 mm (100 micrometers). Larger particles are c ...

* Necia H. Apfel (born 1930), American astronomer and educator * Alice Archenhold (1874–1943), German astronomer * Anne Archibald, Canadian astronomer and educator

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Neta Bahcall Neta Bahcall ( he, נטע אסף בקל; born 1942) is an Israeli astrophysicist and cosmologist specializing in dark matter, the structure of the universe, quasars, and the formation of galaxies. Bahcall is the Eugene Higgins Professor of ...

(born 1942), Israeli astrophysicist and cosmologist specializing in dark matter * Odette Bancilhon (1908–1998), French astronomer *

Amy Barger Amy J. Barger (born January 18, 1971) is an American astronomer and Henrietta Leavitt Professor of Astronomy at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She is considered a pioneer in combining data from multiple telescopes to monitor multiple wa ...

(born 1971), American galactic astronomer * Nadine G. Barlow, American planetary scientist * Amy Barr, American planetary geophysicist * Maria A. Barucci, Italian astronomer * Natalie Batalha (born 1966), American Astronomer *

Stefi Baum Stefi Baum (born December 11, 1958 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American astronomer. The American Astronomical Society honored her work by awarding her the Annie J. Cannon Prize in 1993. Baum helped to develop the Hubble Space Telescope and, star ...

(born 1958), American astronomer and educator *

Reta Beebe Reta F. Beebe (born October 10, 1936 in Baca County Colorado) is an American astronomer, author, and popularizer of astronomy. She is an expert on the planets Jupiter and Saturn, and the author of ''Jupiter: The Giant Planet''. She is a professo ...

(born 1936), American planetary scientist * Emilia Pisani Belserene (1922-2012), American astronomer *

Jocelyn Bell Burnell Dame Susan Jocelyn Bell Burnell (; Bell; born 15 July 1943) is an astrophysicist from Northern Ireland who, as a postgraduate student, discovered the first radio pulsars in 1967. The discovery eventually earned the Nobel Prize in Physics in ...

(born 1943), Irish radio astronomer *

Mary Adela Blagg Mary Adela Blagg (17 May 1858 – 14 April 1944) was an English astronomer and was elected a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1916. Biography She was born in Cheadle, Staffordshire, and lived her entire life there. Mary was t ...

(1858–1944), English selenologist * Erika Böhm-Vitense (1923–2017), German-born American stellar astronomer * Priscilla Fairfield Bok (1896–1975), American astronomer of galactic astronomy * Tabetha S. Boyajian (born c. 1980), American stellar and exoplanetary astronomer * Sophia Brahe (c. 1559 to 1643), Danish noble woman * Ingeborg Brun (1872–1929), Danish amateur astronomer *

Margaret Burbidge Eleanor Margaret Burbidge, FRS (; 12 August 1919 – 5 April 2020) was a British-American observational astronomer and astrophysicist. In the 1950s, she was one of the founders of stellar nucleosynthesis and was first author of the influential ...

(1919–2020), British-American observational astronomer and astrophysicist * Marta Burgay (born 1976), Italian radio astronomer * Mary E. Byrd (1849–1934), American educator and cometary observer

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Annie Jump Cannon Annie Jump Cannon (; December 11, 1863 – April 13, 1941) was an American astronomer whose cataloging work was instrumental in the development of contemporary stellar classification. With Edward C. Pickering, she is credited with the creation of ...

(1863−1941), American astronomer who cataloged stellar spectra * Robin M. Canup (born 1968), American planetary scientist * Nicole Capitaine (born 1948), French astronomer specializing in astrometry * C. Marcella Carollo, Italian astronomer studying galaxy formation and evolution * Catherine Cesarsky (born 1943), Argentinian–French astrophysicist *

Merieme Chadid Merieme Chadid ( ar, مريم شديد; born 11 October 1969 in Casablanca) is a Moroccan- French astronomer, explorer and astrophysicist. She leads international polar scientific programs and has been committed to installing a major astronom ...

(born 1969), Moroccan-French astronomer *

Kyongae Chang Kyongae Chang (, born September 5, 1946) is a South Korean astrophysicist. She is best known for her work on gravitational lensing, including the Chang-Refsdal lens. Chang was born in Seoul. She worked as a research associate on astrometric bina ...

(born 1946), South Korean astrophysicist and instructor *

Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen , consort = yes , succession = Duchess consort of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg , reign = 10 March 1772 – 20 April 1804 , image = Charlotte Amalie of Saxe-Meiningen.jpg , caption = Portrait by Johann Ernst Heinsius , spouse ...

(1751–1827), German noble and patron of astronomy * Jun Chen, Chinese–American astronomer *

Lyudmila Chernykh Lyudmila Ivanovna Chernykh (russian: Людми́ла Ива́новна Черны́х, June 13, 1935 in Shuya, Ivanovo Oblast – July 28, 2017) was a Russian-born Soviet astronomer, wife and colleague of Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh, and a pr ...

(1935–2017), Russian astronomer * Jessie Christiansen, Australian astrophysicist * Agnes Mary Clerke (1842–1907), Irish astronomer and author *

Judith Gamora Cohen Judith Gamora Cohen (born 1946), is an American astronomer and the Kate Van Nuys Page Professor of Astronomy at the California Institute of Technology. She is a recognized expert regarding the Milky Way Galaxy, particularly with respect to the G ...

(born 1946), American astronomer researching galactic astronomy *

Françoise Combes Françoise Combes (; born 12 August 1952) is a French astrophysicist at the Paris Observatory and a professor at the Collège de France where she has been the chair of Galaxies and cosmology since 2014. On 15 September 2017 the 'City of Succes ...

(born 1952), French astrophysicist and educator * Lynn Cominsky (born 1953), American astrophysicist and educator * Janine Connes (born c. 1934), French astronomer * France A. Córdova (born 1947), American astrophysicist and administrator *

Heather Couper Heather Anita Couper, (2 June 1949 – 19 February 2020) was a British astronomer, broadcaster and science populariser. After studying astrophysics at the University of Leicester and researching clusters of galaxies at Oxford University, Co ...

(1949–2020), English astronomer, broadcaster and science populariser *

Athena Coustenis Athena Coustenis is an astrophysicist specializing in planetology. Dr. Coustenis, a French national, is director of research, Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS] French National Center for Scientific Research), at LESIA (Laborat ...

, Greek planetary scientist * Carolin Crawford, English astrophysicist and educator * Lucy D’Escoffier Crespo da Silva (1978–2000), Brazilian astronomy student * Maria Cunitz (1610–1664), Silesian astronomer and author

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* Rosina Dafter (1875–1959), Australian astronomer * Ruth Agnes Daly, American astrophysicist *

Laura Danly Laura Danly, Doctor of Philosophy, Ph.D. (born July 7, 1958) is an American astronomer and academic who served as Curator of the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. She has also served as chair of the Department of Space Sciences at the Denver Mus ...

(born 1958), American astronomer and educator *

Doris Daou Doris Daou (born 1964) is a Lebanese-born astronomer from Canada who was formerly the Director for Education and Public Outreach of the NASA Lunar Science Institute and the Associate Director of the NASA Solar System Exploration Research Virtu ...

(born 1964), Lebanese-Canada astronomer and educator * Marie-Jeanne de Lalande (1768–1832), French astronomer and mathematician * Audrey C. Delsanti (born 1976), French astrobiologist * Elsa van Dien, Dutch astronomer * Harriet Dinerstein, American astronomer * Ewine van Dishoeck (born 1955), Dutch astrochemist * Anlaug Amanda Djupvik, Norwegian stellar astronomer *

Megan Donahue Megan Donahue is an American astronomer who studies galaxies and galaxy clusters. She is a professor of physics and astrophysics at Michigan State University, and the president of the American Astronomical Society for the 2018–2020 term. Educ ...

, American astronomer and instructor * Vibert Douglas (1894–1988), Canadian astrophysicist *

Jeanne Dumée Jeanne Dumée (Paris 1660 - 1706) was a French astronomer and the author of an astronomical text, ''Entretiens sur l’opinion de Copernic touchant la mobilité de la terre'' (Conversations on Copernicus’ Opinion on the Movement of the Earth). ...

(1660–1706), French astronomer and author * Jo Dunkley (1979/1980), British cosmologist * Andrea Dupree, American astrophysicist

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* Maria Clara Eimmart (1676-1707), German astronomer, engraver, and designer * Sara Ellison, Canadian astronomer and instructor studying extragalactic astronomy * Rebecca Elson (1960–1999), Canadian–American astronomer and writer

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Sandra Faber Sandra Moore Faber (born December 28, 1944) is an American astrophysicist known for her research on the evolution of galaxies. She is the University Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and works at ...

(born 1944), American astrophysicist and instructor studying galactic evolution * Annette Ferguson, Scottish observational astrophysicist * Laura Ferrarese, Italian astronomer studying supermassive black holes *

Debra Fischer Debra Ann Fischer is a professor of astronomy at Yale University researching detection and characterization of exoplanets. She was part of the team to discover the first known multiple-planet system. Education Fischer received her degree from ...

, American astronomer investigating exoplanets * Gabrielle Renaudot Flammarion (1877–1962), French astronomer * Williamina Fleming (1857–1911), Scottish astronomer * Anna Frebel (born 1980), German astronomer *

Wendy Freedman Wendy Laurel Freedman (born July 17, 1957) is a Canadian-American astronomer, best known for her measurement of the Hubble constant, and as director of the Carnegie Observatories The Carnegie Institution of Washington (the organization's lega ...

(born 1957), Canadian-American observational cosmologist *

Katherine Freese Katherine Freese (born 8 February 1957) is a theoretical astrophysicist. She is currently a professor of physics at the University of Texas at Austin, where she holds the Jeff and Gail Kodosky Endowed Chair in Physics. She is known for her work ...

, German theoretical astrophysicist * Caroline Furness (1869–1936), American astronomer and teacher

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* Catharine Garmany (born 1946), American astronomer and educator * Pamela L. Gay (born 1973), American astronomer, educator, and writer * Vera Fedorovna Gaze (1899–1954), Russian astronomer who studied emission nebula and minor planets *

Margaret Geller Margaret J. Geller (born December 8, 1947) is an American astrophysicist at the Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian. Her work has included pioneering maps of the nearby universe, studies of the relationship between galaxies and their ...

(born 1947), American astrophysicist studying extragalactic astronomy * Andrea M. Ghez (born 1965), American astronomer, teacher, and Nobel prize winner *

Agnes Giberne Agnes Giberne (19 November 1845 – 20 August 1939) was a prolific British novelist and scientific writer. Her fiction was typical of Victorian evangelical fiction with moral or religious themes for children. She also wrote books on science f ...

(1845–1939), English novelist and scientific writer * Nüzhet Gökdoğan (1910–2003), Turkish astronomer, mathematician and academic * Merle Gold (1921-2017), American astrophysicist * Andreja Gomboc (born 1969), Slovenian astrophysicist *

Alyssa A. Goodman Alyssa Ann Goodman (born July 1, 1962) is the Robert Wheeler Willson Professor of Applied Astronomy at Harvard University, co-Director for Science at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Research Associate of the Smithsonian Institution, a ...

(born 1962), American astrophysicist *

Eva Grebel Eva K. Grebel is a German astronomer. Since 2007 she has been co-director of the Astronomisches Rechen-Institut at the University of Heidelberg in Germany. Eva Grebel is an expert in the study of stellar populations and galaxy formation. Resea ...

, German astronomer studying stellar populations and galaxy formation *

Lucie Green Lucinda "Lucie" May Green (born c. 1975) is a British science communicator and solar physicist. Green is a Professor of Physics and a Royal Society University Research Fellow (previously the Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellow) at Mullard ...

(born c. 1975), English science communicator and solar researcher * Jenny Greene (born 1978), American astrophysicist and teacher studying supermassive black holes and galaxies * Ruth Grützbauch (born 1978), Austrian astronomer

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* Erika Hamden, American astrophysicist and instructor *

Heidi Hammel Heidi B. Hammel (born March 14, 1960) is a planetary astronomer who has extensively studied Neptune and Uranus. She was part of the team imaging Neptune from Voyager 2 in 1989. She led the team using the Hubble Space Telescope to view Shoema ...

(born 1960), American planetary scientist * Fiona A. Harrison, American astrophysicist * Marjorie Hall Harrison (1918–1986), English-born American astronomer * Lisa Harvey-Smith (born 1979), British-Australian astrophysicist * Margaret Harwood (1885–1979), American astronomer * Martha P. Haynes (born 1951), American astronomer specialized in radio astronomy and extragalactic astronomy * Martha Locke Hazen (1931-2006), American astronomer *

E. Ruth Hedeman Emma Ruth Hedeman (1910 – 2006) was an American solar astronomer at McMath-Hulbert Solar Observatory in Michigan. Biography Known as Ruth, she was born in Baltimore, Maryland on November 25, 1910 to Emma Elizabeth Koppelman and Walter Ride ...

(1910–2006), American solar astronomer * Mary Lea Heger (1897–1983), American astronomer who studied the

interstellar medium In astronomy, the interstellar medium is the matter and radiation that exist in the space between the star systems in a galaxy. This matter includes gas in ionic, atomic, and molecular form, as well as dust and cosmic rays. It fills interstella ...

* Charlene Heisler (1961-1999), Canadian astronomer * Eleanor F. Helin (1932–2009), American astronomer who studied near–Earth asteroids * Amina Helmi, Argentine astronomer * Amanda Hendrix (born 1968), American planetary scientist *

Caroline Herschel Caroline Lucretia Herschel (; 16 March 1750 – 9 January 1848) was a German born British astronomer, whose most significant contributions to astronomy were the discoveries of several comets, including the periodic comet 35P/Herschel–Rigolle ...

(1750–1848), German astronomer * Elisabeth Hevelius (1647–1693), Polish astronomer * Jacqueline Hewitt (born 1958), American astrophysicist * Catherine Heymans, British astrophysicist and instructor *

Dorrit Hoffleit Ellen Dorrit Hoffleit (March 12, 1907 – April 9, 2007) was an American senior research astronomer at Yale University. She is best known for her work in variable stars, astrometry, spectroscopy, meteors, and the Bright Star Catalog. She is a ...

(1907–2007), American astronomer *

Helen Sawyer Hogg Helen Battles Sawyer Hogg (August 1, 1905 – January 28, 1993) was an American-Canadian astronomer who pioneered research into globular clusters and variable stars. She was the first female president of several astronomical organizations and a ...

(1905–1993), American-Canadian astronomer * Ann Hornschemeier, American astronomer studying X-ray astronomy *

Joan Horvath Joan Horvath is an American aeronautical engineer, writer, and entrepreneur. She worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for sixteen years, in the technology transfer office and on the Magellan and TOPEX/Poseidon flight projects. She served as ...

, American aeronautical engineer and writer * Nancy Houk, American astronomer * Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld (1921–2015), Dutch astronomer studying minor planets *

Margaret Lindsay Huggins Margaret Lindsay, Lady Huggins (14 August 1848, in Dublin – 24 March 1915, in London), born Margaret Lindsay Murray, was an Irish-English scientific investigator and astronomer. With her husband William Huggins she was a pioneer in the fiel ...

(1848–1915), Irish-English scientific investigator and astronomer * Carolyn Hurless (1934-1987), American astronomer and an

American Association of Variable Star Observers The American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) is an international nonprofit organization, founded in 1911, focused on coordinating, analyzing, publishing, and archiving variable star observations made largely by amateur astronomers ...

merit award winner. *

Hypatia Hypatia, Koine pronunciation (born 350–370; died 415 AD) was a neoplatonist philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician, who lived in Alexandria, Egypt, then part of the Eastern Roman Empire. She was a prominent thinker in Alexandria wher ...

(c. 350–370 to 415), Hellenistic Neoplatonist philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician

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Violeta G. Ivanova Violeta Ivanova (Виолета Иванова) is a Bulgarian astronomer. She is credited by the Minor Planet Center with the discovery of 14 asteroids between 1984 and 1988. She works at the Institute of Astronomy, Bulgarian Academy of Science ...

, Bulgarian astronomer * Al-ʻIjliyyah (c. 10th-century), Arab maker of astrolabes

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* Odette Jasse (1899–1949), French astronomer at Marseille Observatory. *

Louise Freeland Jenkins Louise Freeland Jenkins (July 5, 1888 – May 9, 1970) was an American astronomer who compiled a valuable catalogue of stars within 10 parsecs of the sun, as well as editing the 3rd edition of the Yale Bright Star Catalogue. She was born in Fi ...

(1888–1970), American astronomer of stellar astronomy * Carole Jordan (born 1941), English physicist, astrophysicist, astronomer and academic

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* Vicky Kalogera, Greek astrophysicist * Lyudmila Karachkina (born 1948), Russian astronomer studying astrometry and minor planets * Victoria Kaspi (born 1967), American-Canadian astrophysicist and instructor *

Lisa Kewley Lisa Jennifer Kewley (born 1974) is a Professor and Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3-D (ASTRO 3-D) and ARC Laureate Fellow at the Australian National University College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences ...

(born 1974), Australian astronomer studying galactic evolution * Pamela M. Kilmartin, New Zealand astronomer searching for comets and minor planets *

Maria Margarethe Kirch Maria Margaretha Kirch (''née'' Winckelmann, in historic sources named Maria Margaretha Kirchin; 25 February 1670 – 29 December 1720) was a German astronomer. She was one of the first famous astronomers of her period due to her writing ...

(1670–1720), German astronomer and calendar maker *

Margaret G. Kivelson Margaret Galland Kivelson (born October 21, 1928) is an American space physicist, planetary scientist, and Distinguished Professor Emerita of Space Physics at the University of California, Los Angeles. From 2010 to the present, concurrent with h ...

(born 1928), American planetary scientist * Dorothea Klumpke (1861–1942), American astronomer *

Gillian R. Knapp Gillian Knapp is a professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics, astronomical sciences at Princeton University. She is a faculty fellow at Whitman College. She has been involved in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and she is an active member of the Interna ...

, American astronomer * Kirsten Kraiberg Knudsen, Danish astronomer studying galaxies * Heather A. Knutson, American astronomer studying exoplanets * Gloria Koenigsberger, Mexican astrophysicist and instructor * Bärbel Koribalski, German astrophysicist studying galaxy formation and evolution *

Lenka Kotková Lenka Kotková (''née'' Šarounová; born 26 July 1973) is a Czech astronomer and a discoverer of minor planets. She works at Observatoř Ondřejov (Ondřejov Observatory), located near Prague. Besides numerous main-belt asteroids she also ...

(born 1973), Czech astronomer * Chryssa Kouveliotou, Greek astrophysicist and instructor * Reiki Kushida, Japanese amateur astronomer

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Elizabeth Lada Elizabeth Lada is an American astronomer whose self-described research interests include "understanding the origin, properties, evolution and fate of young embedded clusters within molecular clouds". Life Lada received her Bachelor of Science in ...

, American astronomer and instructor * Eleanor Annie Lamson (1875-1932), American astronomer *

Marguerite Laugier Marguerite Laugier (née Lhomme) (12 September 1896 – 10 June 1976) was a French astronomer active at the Nice Observatory from the 1930s to the 1950s. Contemporary astronomical articles refer to her as "Madame Laugier". The Minor Planet Cent ...

, French astronomer who discovered minor planets * Gemma Lavender (born 1986), British astronomer, author and journalist *

Henrietta Swan Leavitt Henrietta Swan Leavitt (; July 4, 1868 – December 12, 1921) was an American astronomer. A graduate of Radcliffe College, she worked at the Harvard College Observatory as a " computer", tasked with examining photographic plates in order to me ...

(1868–1921), American astronomer who observed variable stars *

Nicole-Reine Lepaute Nicole-Reine Lepaute () née Étable de la Brière, also erroneously known as Hortense Lepaute, (5 January 1723 – 6 December 1788) was a French astronomer and human computer. Lepaute along with Alexis Clairaut and Jérôme Lalande calculated t ...

(1723–1788), French astronomer and mathematician * Isabel Martin Lewis (1881–1966), American astronomer and author * Nikole Lewis, American astrophysicist * Helen Lines (died 2001), American amateur astronomer *

Sarah Lee Lippincott Sarah Lee Lippincott (October 26, 1920 – February 28, 2019), also known as Sarah Lee Lippincott Zimmerman, was an American astronomer. She was professor emerita of astronomy at Swarthmore College and director emerita of the college's Sproul Obs ...

(1920–2019), American astronomer and instructor who focused on astrometry *

Jane Luu Jane X. Luu ( vi, ; born July 1963) is a Vietnamese-American astronomer and defense systems engineer. She was awarded the Kavli Prize (shared with David C. Jewitt and Michael Brown) for 2012 "for discovering and characterizing the Kuiper Belt ...

(born 1963), Vietnamese–American astronomer and defense systems engineer

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* Amy Mainzer (born 1974), American astronomer specializing in astrophysical instrumentation and infrared astronomy * Esmeralda Mallada (born 1937), Uruguayan astronomer and instructor * Rachel Mandelbaum, American astronomer *

Karen Masters Karen Masters (born 1979) is an Astrophysicist and Associate Professor of Astrophysics in Haverford College, Pennsylvania exploring galaxy formation. She is also the project scientist for the citizen science project Galaxy Zoo, and uses the c ...

(born 1979), American astrophysicist studying galaxy formation and evolution *

Janet Akyüz Mattei Janet Akyüz Mattei (January 2, 1943 – March 22, 2004) was a Turkish-American astronomer who was the director of the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) from 1973 to 2004. Biography Mattei was born in Bodrum, Turkey ...

(1943–2004), Turkish-American astronomer studying variable stars * Annie Russell Maunder (1868–1947), Irish-British astronomer * Antonia Maury (1866–1952), American astronomer studying stellar astronomy * Claire Ellen Max (born 1946), American astronomer and instructor * Margaret Mayall (1902–1995), American astronomer studying variable stars *

Jaylee Burley Mead Barbara Jaylee Montague Burley Mead (June 14, 1929 – September 14, 2012) was an American astronomer with a long career at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. She was also a noted arts patron, a major donor to theatres and cultural organizations ...

(1929–2012), American astronomer * Karen Jean Meech (born 1959), American planetary scientist *

Maria Mitchell Maria Mitchell ( /məˈraɪə/; August 1, 1818 – June 28, 1889) was an American astronomer, librarian, naturalist, and educator. In 1847, she discovered a comet named 1847 VI (modern designation C/1847 T1) that was later known as "Miss Mit ...

(1818–1889), American astronomer, librarian, naturalist, and educator * Linda A. Morabito (born 1953), American planetary scientist *

Jean Mueller Jean Mueller (born 1950) is an American astronomer and discoverer of comets, minor planets, and a large number of supernovas at the U.S. Palomar Observatory in California. Scientific career In 1983, she became the first woman to operate the hi ...

(born 1950), American astronomer * Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil, Turkish astrophysicist

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* Sultana N. Nahar, Bangladeshi-American physicist studying atomic processes in astrophysical and laboratory plasmas * Joan Najita, American astronomer researching the formation and evolution of stars and planetary systems * Yaël Nazé, Belgian astrophysicist studying massive stars and their environmental interaction * Heidi Jo Newberg, American astrophysicist studying the Milky Way structure

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Carolina Ödman-Govender in 2013 (cropped)

* Carolina Ödman-Govender, Swiss astrophysicist and lecturer * Sally Oey, American astronomer researching massive stars *

Kathleen Ollerenshaw Dame Kathleen Mary Ollerenshaw, (''née'' Timpson; 1 October 1912 – 10 August 2014) was a British mathematician and politician who was Lord Mayor of Manchester from 1975 to 1976 and an advisor on educational matters to Margaret Thatcher's g ...

, (1912–2014), English mathematician, politician, and amateur astronomer * C. Michelle Olmstead, American astronomer and computer scientist who has discovered minor planets *

Liisi Oterma Liisi Oterma (; 6 January 1915 – 4 April 2001) was a Finnish astronomer, the first woman to get a Ph.D. degree in astronomy in Finland. She studied mathematics and astronomy at the University of Turku, and soon became Yrjö Väisäl� ...

(1915–2001), Finnish astronomer * Mazlan Othman, Malaysian astrophysicist *

Feryal Özel Feryal Özel (born May 27, 1975) is a Turkish-American astrophysicist born in Istanbul, Turkey, specializing in the physics of compact objects and high energy astrophysical phenomena. As of 2022, Özel is the Department Chair and a professor a ...

(born 1975), Turkish astrophysicist studying stellar remnants

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Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (born Cecilia Helena Payne; – ) was a British-born American astronomer and astrophysicist who proposed in her 1925 doctoral thesis that stars were composed primarily of hydrogen and helium. Her groundbreaking con ...

(1900–1979), British-born American astrophysicist and instructor *

Ruby Payne-Scott Ruby Violet Payne-Scott, BSc (Phys) MSc DipEd (Syd) (28 May 1912 – 25 May 1981) was an Australian pioneer in radiophysics and radio astronomy, and was one of two Antipodean women pioneers in radio astronomy and radio physics at the end of th ...

(1912–1981), Australian radio astronomer * Louise du Pierry (1746–1807), French astronomer and instructor * Carle Pieters (born 1943), American planetary scientist *

Thushara Pillai Thushara Pillai is an Indian astrophysicist and astronomer with a senior research scientist position at Boston University's Institute for Astrophysical Research. Her research interests have included molecular clouds, high-mass star formation, ma ...

, (born 1980), Indian astrophysicist and astronomer * Paris Pişmiş (1911–1999), Armenian-Mexican astronomer * Elena V. Pitjeva, Russian astronomer studying solar system dynamics and celestial mechanics *

Carolyn Porco Carolyn C. Porco (born March 6, 1953) is an American planetary scientist who explores the outer Solar System, beginning with her imaging work on the Voyager missions to Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune in the 1980s. She led the imaging scien ...

(born 1953), American planetary scientist * Helen Dodson Prince (1905–2002), American astronomer and instructor * Mary Proctor (1862–1957), American popularizer of astronomy

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* Elisa Quintana, American planetary scientist

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* Hilkka Rantaseppä-Helenius, Finnish astronomer who studied minor planets * Katharine Reeves, American solar astronomer * Emily Rice, American astronomer researching sub-stellar objects including brown dwarfs *

Christina Richey Christina "Chrissy" Richey is an American planetary scientist and astrophysicist working at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge, California. Richey is a project staff scientist for the Europa Clipper mission and is a research tech ...

, American planetary scientist and astrophysicist *

Julia Riley Julia M. Riley (née Hill) is a British astrophysicist who developed the Fanaroff–Riley classification. Personal and professional background She is the daughter of Philippa (born Pass) and British marine geophysicist Maurice Hill and gran ...

, English radio astronomer * Constance M. Rockosi, American galactic astronomer * Elizabeth Roemer (1929–2016), American astronomer who studied minor planets *

Nancy Roman Nancy Grace Roman (May 16, 1925 – December 25, 2018) was an American astronomer who made important contributions to stellar classification and motions. The first female executive at NASA, Roman served as NASA's first Chief of Astronomy through ...

(1925–2018), American stellar astronomer * Marta Graciela Rovira, Argentinian astrophysicist *

Vera Rubin Vera Florence Cooper Rubin (; July 23, 1928 – December 25, 2016) was an American astronomer who pioneered work on galaxy rotation rates. She uncovered the discrepancy between the predicted and observed angular motion of galaxies by study ...

(1928–2016), American astronomer researching extragalactic astronomy *

María Teresa Ruiz María Teresa Ruiz (born 24 September 1946) is a Chilean astronomer who was the first woman to receive Chile's National Prize for Exact Sciences, the first female recipient of a doctorate in astrophysics at Princeton University, and the first ...

, Chilean astronomer

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Penny Sackett Penny Diane Sackett (born 28 February 1956) 19 pages. is an American-born Australian astronomer and former director of the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics (RSAA) at the Australian National University (ANU). Professor Sackett was the ...

(born 1956), American-born Australian astronomer, educator, and manager * Rita M. Sambruna, Italian-American astrophysicist studying supermassive black holes and jets * Anneila Sargent (born 1942), Scottish–American astronomer specialized in star formation *

Caterina Scarpellini Caterina Scarpellini (29 October 1808 – 28 November 1873), was an Italian astronomer who discovered a comet and as a meteorologist she established a station in Rome in the 1850s. Life She was born in Foligno on 29 October 1808, Scarpellini m ...

(1808–1873), Italian astronomer and meteorologist * Sara Seager (born 1971), Canadian-American astronomer and planetary scientist * Waltraut Seitter (1930–2007), German astronomer and instructor * Muriel Mussells Seyfert (1909–1997), American astronomer *

Pelageya Shajn Pelageya Fedorovna Shajn, ''née'' Sannikova (Пелагея Фёдоровна Шайн) (22 September 1894 – 27 August 1956), was a Russian astronomer in the Soviet Union, and the first woman credited with the discovery of a minor planet, at ...

(1894–1956), Russian astronomer searching for minor planets * Aomawa Shields, American astrophysicist and professor researching exoplanets * Carolyn S. Shoemaker (born 1929), American astronomer * Amy Simon, American planetary scientist * Charlotte Moore Sitterly (1898–1990), American astronomer who studied stellar physics * Tamara Mikhaylovna Smirnova (1935–2001), Russian astronomer who searched for minor planets and comets * Alicia M. Soderberg (born 1977), American astrophysicist and instructor focused on supernovae *

Mary Somerville Mary Somerville (; , formerly Greig; 26 December 1780 – 29 November 1872) was a Scottish scientist, writer, and polymath. She studied mathematics and astronomy, and in 1835 she and Caroline Herschel were elected as the first female Honorary ...

(1780–1872), Scottish scientist, writer, and polymath * Linda Spilker, American planetary scientist * Denise Stephens, American astronomer and instructor *

Sarah Stewart-Mukhopadhyay Sarah T. Stewart-Mukhopadhyay is an American planetary scientist known for studying planet formation, planetary geology, and materials science. She is a professor at the University of California, Davis in the Earth and Planetary Sciences Departm ...

, American planetary scientist *

Annapurni Subramaniam Annapurni Subramaniam is the director of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore and works on areas like star clusters, stellar evolution and population in galaxies and Magellanic clouds. Education Subramaniam finished her schooling fro ...

, director of the

Indian Institute of Astrophysics The Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), with its headquarters in Bengaluru,is an autonomous Research Institute wholly financed by the department of Science and Technology, Government of India. IIA conducts research primarily in the areas of ...

Karlina Leksono Supelli Karlina Leksono Supelli (born 15 January 1958 in Jakarta) is an Indonesian philosopher and astronomer. One of Indonesia's first female astronomers, she received her bachelor's degree in Astronomy at ITB and MSc in Space Science from the Univers ...

(born 1958), Indonesian philosopher and astronomer * Jean Swank, American astrophysicist studying compact objects *

Henrietta Hill Swope Henrietta Hill Swope (October 26, 1902 – November 24, 1980) was an American astronomer who studied variable stars. In particular, she measured the period-luminosity relation for Cepheid stars, which are bright variable stars whose periods of va ...

(1902–1980), American astronomer who studied variable stars * Paula Szkody (born 1948), American astronomer and instructor specialized in cataclysmic variable stars

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Jill Tarter Jill Cornell Tarter (born January 16, 1944) is an American astronomer best known for her work on the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). Tarter is the former director of the Center for SETI Research, holding the Bernard M. Oliver C ...

(born 1944), American astronomer focused on

SETI The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) is a collective term for scientific searches for intelligent extraterrestrial life, for example, monitoring electromagnetic radiation for signs of transmissions from civilizations on other p ...

* Florence Taylor Hildred (1865–1932), English astronomer and pastor * Alenush Terian (1921–2011), Iranian-Armenian astronomer *

Michelle Thaller Dr. Michelle Lynn Thaller is an American astronomer and research scientist. Thaller is the assistant director for Science Communication at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. From 1998 to 2009 she was a staff scientist at the Infrared Processin ...

(born 1969), American astronomer and educator * Jana Tichá (born 1965), Czech astronomer searching for minor planets * Beatrice Tinsley (1941–1981), British-born New Zealand astronomer studying galactic evolution * Maura Tombelli (born 1952), Italian amateur astronomer * Christy A. Tremonti, American astronomer * Virginia Louise Trimble (born 1943), American astronomer *

Lidiya Tseraskaya Lidiya Petrovna Tseraskaya née Shelekhova (Russian: Лидия Петровна Цераская) (22 June 1855 – 24 December 1931) was a Russian astronomer. Tseraskaya was born in Astrakhan, and graduated from the Teacher's Institute in Pete ...

(1855–1931), Russian astronomer * Margaret Turnbull (born 1975), American astronomer and astrobiologist

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Anne Barbara Underhill Anne Barbara Underhill FRSC (June 12, 1920 - July 3, 2003) was a Canadian astrophysicist. She is most widely known for her work on early-type stars and was considered one of the world's leading experts in the field. During her lifetime she rec ...

(1920–2003), Canadian astrophysicist who studied massive stars * Meg Urry, American astrophysicist studying supermassive black holes and galaxies

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* Bobbie Vaile (1959–1996), Australian astrophysicist and lecturer *

Zdeňka Vávrová Zdeňka Vávrová (born 1945) is a Czech astronomer. She co-discovered periodic comet 134P/Kowal-Vávrová. She had observed it as an asteroid, which received the provisional designation 1983 JG, without seeing any cometary coma. However, lat ...

(born 1945), Czech astronomer *

Faith Vilas Faith Vilas is an American planetary scientist and Director of the MMT Observatory in Arizona. Career Vilas earned her BA in Astronomy in 1973 at Wellesley College and her SM in Earth and Planetary Sciences in 1975 at MIT. She completed her ...

, American planetary scientist * Julie Vinter Hansen (1890–1960), Danish astronomer * Emma Vyssotsky (1894–1975), American astronomer who studied

astrometry Astrometry is a branch of astronomy that involves precise measurements of the positions and movements of stars and other celestial bodies. It provides the kinematics and physical origin of the Solar System and this galaxy, the Milky Way. Histor ...

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* Lucianne Walkowicz (born 1979), American astronomer *

Wang Zhenyi Wang Zhenyi (; born November 30, 1924), also known as Zhen-yi Wang, is a Chinese pathophysiologist and hematologist who is a professor emeritus of Medicine and Pathophysiology at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU). He is most well known f ...

(1768–1797), Chinese astronomer, mathematician, and poet *

Kim Weaver Dr. Kimberly A. Weaver (born April 19, 1964 in Morgantown, West Virginia) is an American astrophysics astronomer and professor. She has worked with NASA on several research projects. She is often seen on television programs about astronomy. She i ...

(born 1964), American astrophysicist and instructor focused on X-ray astronomy * Alycia J. Weinberger, American astronomer studying planetary formation * Mareta West (1915–1998), American astrogeologist *

Sarah Frances Whiting Sarah Frances Whiting (August 23, 1847 – September 12, 1927) was an American physicist and astronomer. She was one of the founders and the first director of the Whitin Observatory at Wellesley College. She instructed several notable astronom ...

(1847–1927), American physicist, astronomer, and instructor *

Mary Watson Whitney Mary Watson Whitney (September 11, 1847 – January 20, 1921) was an American astronomer and for 22 years the head of the Vassar Observatory where 102 scientific papers were published under her guidance. Early life and education Whitney wa ...

(1847–1921), American astronomer and teacher * Belinda Wilkes, English astrophysicist * Beth Willman, American cosmologist * Lee Anne Willson (born 1947), American astronomer *

Anna Winlock Anna Winlock (1857–1904) was an American astronomer and human computer, one of the first members of female computer group known as "the Harvard Computers." She made the most complete catalog of stars near the north and south poles of her era. S ...

(1857–1904), American astronomer * Jennifer Wiseman, American astrophysicist * Rosemary Wyse (born 1957), Scottish astrophysicist and instructor *

Frances Woodworth Wright Frances Woodworth Wright (April 30, 1897 – July 30, 1989) was an American astronomer based at Harvard University. During World War II, she taught celestial navigation to military officers and engineers. Early life Frances Woodworth Wright w ...

(1897–1989), American astronomer and educator *

Gillian Wright Gillian Wright (born 5 May 1960) is an English actress, best known for portraying the role of Jean Slater on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' since 2004, for which she has won a number of awards. She was a teacher and theatre director before ...

, Scottish astronomer

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Ye Shuhua Ye Shuhua (; born June 21, 1927) is a Chinese astronomer and professor at Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, known for achieving one of the world's most precise measurements of Universal Time in the 1960s, and for establishing the very-long-ba ...

(born 1927), Chinese astronomer and instructor * Anne Sewell Young (1871–1961), American astronomer who studied variable stars * Judith Young (1952–2014), American physicist, astronomer, and educator * Louise Gray Young (1935-2018), American astronomer and researcher

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* Lyudmila Zhuravlyova (born 1946), Russian-Ukrainian astronomer who discovered minor planets * Maria Zuber (born 1958), American planetary scientist

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See also