Caroline’s Comets
This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share a commission.
Caroline Herschel (1750–1848) was not only one of the greatest astronomers who ever lived but also the first woman to be paid for her scientific work.
Caroline Herschel (1750–1848) was not only one of the greatest astronomers who ever lived but also the first woman to be paid for her scientific work.
Born the youngest daughter of a poor family in Hanover, Germany, she was scarred from smallpox, stunted from typhus and used by her parents as a scullery maid. But when her favorite brother, William, left for England, he took her with him.
The siblings shared a passion for stars, and together they built the greatest telescope of their age, working tirelessly on star charts. Using their telescope, Caroline discovered fourteen nebulae and two galaxies, was the first woman to discover a comet, and became the first woman officially employed as a scientist—by no less than the King of England!
The information from the Herschels’ star catalogs is still used by space agencies today.
About the Author:
Emily Arnold McCully was born in Galesburg, Illinois. She was a dare-devil tree-climber and ball-player who loved to write stories and illustrate them. Her family moved to New York City and then to a suburb, where she attended school. After college at Brown University, she earned a Master’s degree at Columbia University in art history. She worked as a freelance illustrator for magazines, advertisements and book publishers until a radio station commissioned a series of posters showing children playing. The first appeared in subway cars, where it was seen by a children’s book editor. It launched a long career, first as an illustrator, then as author/illustrator of picture books. McCully won a Caldecott Medal in 1993. She has two grown sons, one grandson and lives in New York City and Columbia County, N.Y., where she grows flowers and vegetables. Read more about Emily here.
A Few Reviews:
“An inspiring tale of scientific discovery despite obstacles, with a feminist point of view.” —Kirkus Reviews
“The concise text includes well-chosen details and quotes that help create a multifaceted personality on the page, while letting young readers know how limited the options were for an eighteenth-century woman and how close Herschel came to living her life in obscurity, knitting socks and scrubbing pans. The appealing illustrations—pen-and-ink drawings with watercolor washes—bring the historical settings to life. An engaging introduction to a notable woman in astronomy.” —Booklist, Starred Review
