Maria Mitchell - Astronomer

Marlys Henke developed the following multicultural activity for her mathematics class:

"Maria Mitchell - Astronomer

Background Information: Maria Mitchell (1818-1889) was America's first woman astronomer. She was born a Quaker on Nantucket Island at a time when the Nantucket community was at an extraordinary height commercially, intellectually, and morally. From 1831 to 1835, Nantucket led the world in whaling. When Maria was 12 years old, she assisted her father in observing the 1831 eclipse of the sun. In 1835, she and her father recorded the movements of Haley's comet.

She was a librarian at Nantucket for 20 years and spent many evenings in the observatory her father created on the top of the Pacific Bank building. On October 1, 1847, she discovered a telescopic comet. She was honored in America and Europe, with the King of Denmark honoring her with a gold medal. In 1848, she became the first woman member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1850, she became a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She founded the Association for the Advancement of Women and was the first woman elected to the American Physical Society. A 5-inch Alvan Clark refractor telescope was presented to her in 1859 from the women of America.

In 1865, she was appointed Professor of Astronomy and Director of the Observatory at Vassar College for women. She was one of Vassar's greatest teachers, inspiring many young women to work in astronomy. She pioneered daily photography of sunspots and faculae, of solar eclipses, and of changes on the surface of planets. Her warmth, openness, and dedication to the search for truth influenced all around her.

In 1902, the Maria Mitchell Association was formed in her honor. The Maria Mitchell Observatory at Nantucket was built in 1908, and the Loines Observatory was added in 1968. Miss Margaret Harwood was the first director from 1916-1957, continuing the recognition of women astronomers that Maria sparked.

Problem: The figure to the right shows the position of the Big Dipper in relation to Polaris. The stars appear to rotate counterclockwise around Polaris once each day. What would be the position of the Big Dipper 3 hours later?

Reference: Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association, Vestal Street, Nantucket, MA 02554."