Maria Mitchell Biography, Age, Weight, Height, Friend, Like, Affairs, Favourite, Birthdate & Other

Maria Mitchell was a 19th century American astronomer, credited to be the first professional female astronomer in the United States. Distantly related to the renowned polymath, Benjamin Franklin, she was born into an open-minded Quaker family. Her parents believed in educating women and encouraged young Maria’s early intellectual pursuits. She grew up in a community where she was surrounded by independent-minded women and she too developed into a strong-willed and intelligent woman. Her father was a school principal and, at home he taught her astronomy using his personal telescope.

She developed a passion for astronomy and discovered that she was naturally skilled in this subject. She was not even 13 when she helped her father in calculating the exact moment of an annular eclipse. A few years later she discovered a comet which eventually became known as “Miss Mitchell’s Comet”.

This discovery of hers made her popular and she earned worldwide fame for being one of the few women to have ever discovered a comet. As the country’s first professional female astronomer, she was much respected and also served in several prestigious academic positions. In addition to being an astronomer she was also a feminist who believed in equal rights for all irrespective of gender or race