Many articles and books describe the rise to fame of maid-turned-astronomer Williamina "Mina" Paton Fleming (1857-1911) and her contributions to stellar classification. But her deep-sky discoveries may hold a few surprises. In 1879, after emigrating to Boston from Scotland, her husband abandoned her while she was expecting their son. Seeking employment, Fleming found it when Edward Charles Pickering, director of Harvard College Observatory (HCO), hired her as his second housekeeper.
展开▼
