Measure by Measure they touched the heaven

Luisa Spairani

Abstract

The measure of distances is a recurring theme in astrophysics. The interpretation of the light coming from a luminous object in the sky can be very different depending on the distance of the object. Two stars or galaxies may have a different real brightness, although they may look similar. The correct measures came by women computers a century ago. Special mention to Williamina Fleming who supervised an observatory for 30 years working on the first system to classify stars by spectrum. Antonia Maury helped locate the first double star and developed her classification system. Henrietta Leavitt found a law to determine stellar distances. The most famous of the Harvard computers was Annie Jump Cannon. An expert in photography, she catalogued over 350,000 stars and expanded the classification system used today but was Henrietta Leavitt to leave an indelible mark.

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IMEKO-TC4-METROARCHAEO-2019-97.pdf

DOI

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IMEKO TC

TC4 - Measurement of Electrical Quantities

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