Picturing Women in Astronomy and Space Exploration

In this 17th-century image, Urania, the muse of astronomy, presides over an imaginary gathering of great historical astronomers, all of them male. Astronomical books and illustrations from the period often were adorned with women depicted in the same manner - as mythological entities that enticed men to pursue knowledge, not as pursuers of knowledge themselves.

This 17th-century illustration shows the renowned Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius and his wife, Elisabeth, operating a large sextant in their home observatory. Before the 20th century, a close familial tie with a male scientist was often the way for women to engage with scientific pursuits, typically in a domestic environment. Women such as Elizabeth Hevelius became skillful experts on their own, but were primarily regarded as dedicated assistants.

This 18th-century illustration shows a university student teaching astronomy to his attentive sister. She is avid to learn but cannot enroll at a higher education institution herself, because those are strictly for men. Depictions where a male character taught science to a female became a popular genre. They usually depicted women as keen learners, but also contributed to reinforce gender stereotypes as to who held the intellectual authority.

This image from John Walker’s "Elements of Geography" (first published in 1795) contrasts with other imagery from the period as it shows “regular” women (not muses) mastering astronomy in the absence of male figures. Two of them explain the Earth’s seasons, while the other performs observations with a quadrant. It reflects Walker’s Quaker beliefs, which valued scientific education and an active role for women in all aspects of social life.

Caroline Herschel was the first woman astronomer to receive a regular stipend for her own scientific work. Destined to take care of her family’s domestic chores, she became a valuable assistant to her brother, the famous astronomer William Herschel, and eventually a respected astronomer in her own right. Caroline is shown here pointing at a comet’s orbit. Among many other accomplishments, she discovered eight comets.

Margaret Bryan was a respected educator who led schools for girls and wrote books on astronomy and other scientific subjects. This image from her "A Compendious System of Astronomy" (1797) depicts Margaret with her two daughters. The various instruments in the image reinforce the message that astronomy did not have to be exclusively for men.

Here Urania takes a young woman sitting by a set of astronomical instruments on a journey of learning through the heavens. Formerly the muse of an exclusively male cohort of scientists, Urania is now bringing women into astronomy. This image is thus symbolic of the 19th-century struggles of women to gain more access to the sciences and to education in general.

This 19th-century illustration presents a group of women actively engaged with astronomy, but also hints at enduring prejudices. All the women look alike, sporting the same kind of fanciful attire and hairdo. There is not a single male figure in the scene, as to suggest that women willing to cultivate the sciences would have to do it away from the traditional spaces of learning dominated by men.

This photograph shows a group of astronomers at the Adler Planetarium in 1930, during the 44th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS). Annie Jump Cannon, who played a fundamental role in establishing the modern classification of stars, stands out in a group dominated by men. The image reflects the striking gender imbalance in the AAS and more generally in astronomy at the time - in a cohort of 100 attendees, Cannon was one among 12 female attendees.

Maude Bennott is shown here operating the Adler Planetarium’s original Zeiss II projector. Bennot played an important role in shaping the Adler’s first sky shows and exhibits. In 1937 she took the post of Acting Director, becoming the first woman in the world to lead a planetarium. Despite her popularity with the public and managerial acumen in times of war and economic depression, Bennott was dismissed in 1944 to be replaced by a man.

This Soviet post stamp shows Valentina Tereshkova side-by-side with a fellow cosmonaut (as astronauts were called in the  Soviet Union). In 1963, with the Cold War and the Space Race raging, Tereshkova became the first woman to travel in space. News about Tereshkova’s deed showed Americans that scientific and technological dominance required the full participation of women. But it would take two decades before the USA started to send women to space.

The six women pictured here were part of the first group of 35 candidates who received training to fly aboard the Space Shuttle. Sally Ride (top right) became the first American woman in space in 1983. All of them partook of Space Shuttle missions and established milestones for the participation of women in the American space program.

In September 1992, Mae Jemison became the first African-American woman in space, flying aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour. In this photograph, taken one month later, she holds a sphere depicting the Earth as seen from space, together with a group of young people. The image conveys a powerful message - that understanding our planet and making it a better one requires the participation of all people, and there should be no barriers to anyone willing to be part of the journey.