I had never heard of Maria Mitchell before arriving on Nantucket, and I had no idea what to expect from a visit to her house, but we had a really good time there. Unfortunately, it was an overcast day, so we couldn't take advantage of any public stargazing, but we did get an excellent tour of her house.
Tours of the house don't seem to run on any particular schedule--you just ring the doorbell and an employee shows you around. Our tour was just the two of us and one other lady who happened to be there at the same time. Either way, it's always refreshing to learn about a scientific pioneer who came from modest means--especially a woman famous for astronomy back when women in science were either rare or not recognized.
Mitchell seems like a really cool old broad whose contribution to science and women's history is still felt today. In fact, the google doodle three days before we visited (August 1) was in honor of her 195th birthday.
Mitchell was also the first professor of Astronomy at Vassar, where she taught for 23 years, and the first woman inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Our tour guide was clearly very enthusiastic about Miss Mitchell's legacy and that added to the fun of our tour. read more