Astronomy
When the contribution about Caroline Herschel appeared, Andrea Dupree emailed
David DeVorkin, a Curator at the National Air and Space Museum
(another part of the Smithsonian Institution to which we at CfA
belong), and a member of the AAS. He replied with the following
message and gave her permission to post it in the CSWA Newsletter.
It is printed here as well so people can make comments.
******************************
From David DeVorkin:
History is about context. If one were to ask Caroline how she would
have described herself, I believe she may well have said ?essential
assistant? given the gender relations of that day and her personal
view of her relationship to her brother. In fact there is a long
quote in the label taken from Margaret Herschel?s writings that uses
the term ?assistant? explicitly.
Moreover there are at least 5 women depicted in the gallery. We give
tours that carry the visitor from Caroline Herschel, through Henrietta
Swan Leavitt, to Vera Rubin and Margaret Geller, and finally to
Catherine Pilachowski to show how the roles of women have changed in
astronomy and that today we can finally celebrate women as
astronomers. It is just for that fact that the sequence we portray
needs to be appreciated in full: in past time women were denied
parity, and that parity was won in long painful stages to the point
where it may be in place now, but needs constant and informed
vigilance to retain.
We cannot erase history to suit the passions of the present. People
try to erase history all the time for all different reasons, and it?s
our job to be as helpful as possible, presenting the past as it was,
to the best of our ability, not as what we want it to be. Only in
this way will we remain responsible to ourselves, and our mission to
foster an informed public.
David H. DeVorkin - Senior Curator
Division of Space History
National Air and Space Museum
- Aaswomen February 21, 2014
AAS Committee on the Status of Women AAS Committee on the Status of Women Issue of February 21, 2014 eds. Michele M. Montgomery, Daryl Haggard, Nick Murphy, amp; Nicolle Zellner This week's issues: 1. Sexual Harassment: A Call to Shun2. Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin3....
- The Genesis Of Cswa
The Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy (CSWA) was created in June 1979 by the AAS council. The events that led to its formation are described in detail in an article by former CSWA chair, Sue Simkin, in "The American Astronomical Society's...
- Not Just Assistants
I wanted to elaborate on Chanda Prescod-Weinstein's critique of a NASM exhibit on Caroline and William Herschel that was posted to AASWOMEN recently. Here's her photo of the exhibit in question: The issue at hand is that while William is described...
- Most Inspirational Women Astronomers
From today's AASWOMEN: 4. Most Inspirational Women Astronomers From: Joan Schmelz [jschmelz_at_memphis.edu] [Last week's item from the NewScientist survey on "Most Inspirational Woman Scientist Revealed" triggered several comments. Perhaps we...
- My Role Model: Vera Rubin
The theme of this month's Scientiae Carnival is Role Models. Ever since grad school, I've named my computers after pioneering women in astronomy: Maria (Mitchell), Caroline (Herschel), Cecilia (Payne-Gaposchkin), Henrietta (Swan Leavitt), Annie...
Astronomy
Not Just Assistants - the Historical Perspecitive
When the contribution about Caroline Herschel appeared, Andrea Dupree emailed
David DeVorkin, a Curator at the National Air and Space Museum
(another part of the Smithsonian Institution to which we at CfA
belong), and a member of the AAS. He replied with the following
message and gave her permission to post it in the CSWA Newsletter.
It is printed here as well so people can make comments.
******************************
From David DeVorkin:
History is about context. If one were to ask Caroline how she would
have described herself, I believe she may well have said ?essential
assistant? given the gender relations of that day and her personal
view of her relationship to her brother. In fact there is a long
quote in the label taken from Margaret Herschel?s writings that uses
the term ?assistant? explicitly.
Moreover there are at least 5 women depicted in the gallery. We give
tours that carry the visitor from Caroline Herschel, through Henrietta
Swan Leavitt, to Vera Rubin and Margaret Geller, and finally to
Catherine Pilachowski to show how the roles of women have changed in
astronomy and that today we can finally celebrate women as
astronomers. It is just for that fact that the sequence we portray
needs to be appreciated in full: in past time women were denied
parity, and that parity was won in long painful stages to the point
where it may be in place now, but needs constant and informed
vigilance to retain.
We cannot erase history to suit the passions of the present. People
try to erase history all the time for all different reasons, and it?s
our job to be as helpful as possible, presenting the past as it was,
to the best of our ability, not as what we want it to be. Only in
this way will we remain responsible to ourselves, and our mission to
foster an informed public.
David H. DeVorkin - Senior Curator
Division of Space History
National Air and Space Museum
- Aaswomen February 21, 2014
AAS Committee on the Status of Women AAS Committee on the Status of Women Issue of February 21, 2014 eds. Michele M. Montgomery, Daryl Haggard, Nick Murphy, amp; Nicolle Zellner This week's issues: 1. Sexual Harassment: A Call to Shun2. Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin3....
- The Genesis Of Cswa
The Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy (CSWA) was created in June 1979 by the AAS council. The events that led to its formation are described in detail in an article by former CSWA chair, Sue Simkin, in "The American Astronomical Society's...
- Not Just Assistants
I wanted to elaborate on Chanda Prescod-Weinstein's critique of a NASM exhibit on Caroline and William Herschel that was posted to AASWOMEN recently. Here's her photo of the exhibit in question: The issue at hand is that while William is described...
- Most Inspirational Women Astronomers
From today's AASWOMEN: 4. Most Inspirational Women Astronomers From: Joan Schmelz [jschmelz_at_memphis.edu] [Last week's item from the NewScientist survey on "Most Inspirational Woman Scientist Revealed" triggered several comments. Perhaps we...
- My Role Model: Vera Rubin
The theme of this month's Scientiae Carnival is Role Models. Ever since grad school, I've named my computers after pioneering women in astronomy: Maria (Mitchell), Caroline (Herschel), Cecilia (Payne-Gaposchkin), Henrietta (Swan Leavitt), Annie...