The universe was a flat photograph. We only knew the distance of nearby stars using geometric methods, but the distant nebulae and star clusters were only bright spots in the cosmic panel with no depth. This was the situation at the beginning of the twentieth century, until a woman of fragile health, he found a tool to discover the true grandeur of the universe.
One of the objectives of International Year of Astronomy past was to claim the role of women in research astronomical. Generally, only the left part is, nothing more marginal issues, well into the twentieth century. This was the case Henrietta Swan Leavitt, who was among a group of women calculators Harvard Observatory. With a limited budget, the director of the center wanted to save and hired women, with a minimum wage, were attentive, polite and patient, the right people to analyze thousands of photographic plates boring star fields. But Miss Leavitt, who was graduated from Radcliffe with a curriculum such that if it had been a man, would have provided a degree in humanities at Harvard, he accepted the tedious job of measuring the brightness of the stars in the Small Plates Magellan Nebula. And it was there that made the discovery of sixteen stars that have good properties curious: its brightness varies periodically and brightest have long-period variation. Since the distance that separates us from them is basically the same, the effect, now called period-luminosity relation of Cepheids, is really intrinsic and is an ideal tool to measure distances in our galaxy or beyond.
In a few years when I was alive the debate over whether the Milky Way was the only galaxy and therefore the whole universe, or if there were many galaxies and ours was one of many, Leavitt's contribution was essential to discern. Shapley was the first to use Miss Leavitt's stars to measure the Milky Way, but was Hubble who sensed the true dimensions of the universe, when cefeides first discovered in the Andromeda galaxy and then when he showed that galaxies are moving away from them suggesting a universe in motion and expansion. Without the contribution of Miss Leavitt this spectacular progress in extragalactic astronomy the twenties of last century would not have been possible . She, meanwhile, never failed any academic recognition or labor. His employment status was not an assistant, despite the contribution to science he had done. Only at the end of his life he dared to the profession of an astronomer assigned to answer the question of an official census of Boston. Translation
beautiful overview of Enric Marco i Soler (Univ. Dept. Astronomy and Astrophysics Vcia) the book: "Before Hubble, misss Leavitt." George Johnson. Antoni Bosch Ed. Barcelona.2009. Number 66 of the Review Method of the University of Valencia.
Another review:
nearly a century ago, in a crowded office of the Centre Harvard, a brilliant woman, now almost forgotten, discovered the secret of the vastness of the universe.
Her name is Henrietta Swan Leavitt, and in the days when women were forbidden to have careers in science, was what was known as a "calculator"-a human calculator of numbers, that, struggling against a very weak health, discovered a new law that transformed cosmology.
Leavitt Using the law of the legendary astronomer Edwin Hubble showed that there were stars-and-whole galaxies beyond the Milky Way and the universe as we now know, is immeasurably large. With the grace and skill that have made him one of the most distinguished science writers today, George Johnson astutely contrasts the magnitude of the discovery of Leavitt with the quiet darkness of his short life. Before Hubble, Miss Leavitt is both a brilliant story of how we measure the universe as the emotional story of a forgotten genius.
Comments from other astronomers today:
"Starting with the discovery of Henrietta Leavitt, who was instrumental in restoring the cosmological distances, the author describes the history of research an issue that even today is fascinating: how tall the universe. "
Cristina Manuel - Research Scientist, Space Science Institute, Spain
"This book weaves a wonderful way history, astronomy and the struggle of a young woman to make their mark in science."
Yolanda Gomez - Investigating Radio Astronomy Centre, Mexico
"Henrietta Swan Leavitt, and other astronomers at Harvard, worked almost anonymously in a world dominated by men, leaving an impressive legacy at that time were not recognized as they deserved, because their role was merely assistants, called "calculators" Harvard. "
Margarida Hernanz - Research professor, Institute of Space Sciences, Spain
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