Miss Leavitt's Stars
The Untold Story of the Woman Who Discovered How to Measure the Universe
14 July 2006
Description
"A short, excellent account of [Leavitt’s] extraordinary life and achievements." —Simon Singh, New York Times Book Review
George Johnson brings to life Henrietta Swan Leavitt, who found the key to the vastness of the universe—in the form of a “yardstick” suitable for measuring it. Unknown in our day, Leavitt was no more recognized in her own: despite her enormous achievement, she was employed by the Harvard Observatory as a mere number-cruncher, at a wage not dissimilar from that of workers in the nearby textile mills. Miss Leavitt’s Stars uncovers her neglected history.
Reviews
"Illuminating." — Richard Panek, New York Times
"The well-known science writer George Johnson fashions a fascinating picture of Miss Leavitt’s life…His grace in bringing her to life is matched by his lucidity in explaining difficult scientific concepts." — Scientific American
"An elegant and absorbing account of a signal event in humanity’s discovery of the deeper cosmos." — Timothy Ferris, author of The Science of Liberty
"Johnson paints a luminous portrait of Leavitt and shows how her patient work sparked an explosion of astronomical creativity." — Laurence Marschall, Discover Magazine
