Maria Mitchell

Born 8/1/1818. Attended the Cyrus Peirce's School for Young Ladies. First librarian at Nantucket Atheneum Library, and astronomy professor at Vassar College.

[Maria Mitchell @mmitchell1818]

Thrilled to be in the U.S. National Women's Hall of Fame #WhatAnHonor

[Maria Mitchell @mmitchell1818]

So privileged to have the Maria Mitchell Observatory in Nantucket named after me #MariaMitchellAssociation to support science #HomeSweetHome

[Maria Mitchell @mmitchell1818]

@Jkeplah So impressive! I'm glad u realized it's an ellipse and its speed depends on distance from the Sun. It was then explained by gravity

[Maria Mitchell @mmitchell1818]

@TychoBrahee Thanks! I won't get to see it again either, but it was amazing to spot! I'm sure ur observations of a supernova were awesome 2

[Maria Mitchell @mmitchell1818]

@TychoBrahee Yeah, my comet won't come near the Sun again for 100s of years, if ever. It's cool u realized the comet orbited beyond the Moon

[Maria Mitchell @mmitchell1818]

@Jkeplah How did you first come up with the idea that planets don't go around the Sun in perfect circles? #ellipses

[Maria Mitchell @mmitchell1818]

@TychoBrahee Pretty cool that u observed a comet's orbit and realized that the heavens change! I spotted a comet too #MissMitchellsComet

[Maria Mitchell @mmitchell1818]

@CHerschel16 My parents were Quakers so they thought girls deserved equal education #EqualityForWomen. Also my dad was really into astronomy

[Maria Mitchell @mmitchell1818]

@Galile02090 Glad you discovered #sunspots, I track and photograph them all the time with my students #thanks

[Maria Mitchell @mmitchell1818]

@CHerschel16 It must've been hard pursuing astronomy in the late 1700s as a woman. Good thing your brother helped you get started

[Maria Mitchell @mmitchell1818]

@CopernicusAstro U can buy 1 in the 18th century or make 1. I clean my telescope lens fairly regularly, pretty sure those r sunspots

[Maria Mitchell @mmitchell1818]

@CopernicusAstro glad u came up w/ this hypothesis! It'd be hard to advance if we still thought the Sun orbits Earth #CopernicanRevolution

[Maria Mitchell @mmitchell1818]

@CopernicusAstro it must be shocking for u to hear that the Sun isn't a perfect celestial body b/c of its sunspots #imperfect #solarsystem

[Maria Mitchell @mmitchell1818]

@CopernicusAstro knew that about our solar system thx 2 ur idea that Earth goes around the Sun! It's due 2 #gravity, so I can track sunspots

[Maria Mitchell @mmitchell1818]

@Jkeplah Couldn't have approximated orbit of my comet w/o ur laws of planetary motion! It won't pass the Sun for 100s of yrs #nonperiodic

[Maria Mitchell @mmitchell1818]

@HalsComments so I heard, but ur prediction for ur comet's return was spot on! It was seen in 1758. I figured out the orbit of my comet too

[Maria Mitchell @mmitchell1818]

Shout out to @HalsComments, calculating the periodicity of a comet since 1705! It's 2 bad u never saw the return of the comet named after u

[Maria Mitchell @mmitchell1818]

@Galileo_Speaks Thanks for discovering #sunspots, I track and photograph them all the time with my students

[Maria Mitchell @mmitchell1818]

Co-founding the Association for the Advancement of Women. Not fair that my salary was less than that of male colleagues #womensrights #prez

[Maria Mitchell @mmitchell1818]

Venus traversed the Sun!! #rare #whataview