Astrophysicist Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin

So it’s still Women’s History Month, and since I adore history and science, I wanted to do this entry about the American astrophysicist Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, whose contributions to our knowledge about the physical makeup of the universe were relatively unknown for much of the 20th century.

Here you see Cecilia Payne’s portrait by artist Patricia Watwood, posthumously created in 2001, 22 years after Payne had died at age 79. I like the way the painting echoes Vermeer’s 17th century piece, _The Astronomer_ (see second image): in both works, the scientists’ faces glow from the light of our nearest star, and both show a look of cerebral dedication on their faces. A reproduction of Watwood’s portrait now hangs in the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics where Payne spent her professional career. But the genius of her contributions was not always recognized as such, even at Harvard.

Cecilia Payne’s major discovery was that stars were made of mostly hydrogen (as well as helium and other elements). Since stars are the largest masses in the universe, it means that Payne also figured out that hydrogen was the predominant element in the universe. Her findings ran counter to the beliefs of most astronomers at the time, who argued that the stars were composed of elements of similar ratios to elements on earth.

The old-guard scientists were wrong, but Payne initially bowed to pressure and stated that her 1925 thesis results were incorrect. Four years later, one of the scientists who had publically disagreed with Payne changed his mind completely and published on these new ideas — for years, Payne’s work went unrecognized.

However, over a lifetime Cecilia Payne built upon her career, eventually moving up the faculty ladder at Harvard, publishing books, and adding to what we now understand about the evolution of stars.

Because of her work and success as a woman astrophysicist, Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin became a role model for many female academics. Her life is the subject of a 2020 biography by Donovan Moore — published, appropriately, by Harvard University Press.