Look Up!

Henrietta Leavitt, Pioneering Woman Astronomer

By: Robert Burleigh, Raúl Colón (Illustrator)

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Hardcover | 19 February 2013

At a Glance

Hardcover
32 Pages

Age
4 - 8

Grade
P - 3

Dimensions(cm)
27.94 x 21.59 x 0.76

Hardcover

$40.40

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Henrietta Levitt was the first person to discover the scientific importance of a star's brightness'so why has no one heard of her? Learn all about a female pioneer of astronomy in this picture book biography.

Henrietta Swan Leavitt was born on July 4, 1868, and she changed the course of astronomy when she was just twenty-five years old. Henrietta spent years measuring star positions and sizes from photographs taken by the telescope at the Harvard College Observatory, where she worked. After Henrietta observed that certain stars had a fixed pattern to their changes, her discovery made it possible for astronomers to measure greater and greater distances'leading to our present understanding of the vast size of the universe.

An astronomer of her time called Henrietta Leavitt 'one of the most important women ever to touch astronomy," and another close associate said she had the 'best mind at the Harvard Observatory.' Henrietta Leaveitt's story will inspire young women and aspiring scientists of all kinds and includes additional information about the solar system and astronomy.

Industry Reviews

Burleigh (George Bellows: Painter with a Punch!) investigates a woman astronomer who made a significant discovery in the 1900s when most women in her field “were human ‘computers.’ Their job was to record. And measure. And calculate. The women were expected to ‘work, not think.’ ” Henrietta Leavitt didn’t comply. Working at the Harvard College Observatory, she closely observed photographs of stars and uncovered a way to measure their true brightness, paving the way for others to measure even greater distances to the stars. Burleigh’s narrative is simultaneously succinct, descriptive, and appealing: “When she closed her eyes, she could still see the star dots, dancing across the inside of her eyelids.” Working in his familiar warm, glowing style, Colón (Annie and Helen) uses colored pencils and watercolors to create feathery-textured illustrations. Some images of Leavitt at work are rendered in muted beiges and greens, which make the night sky scenes shine all the brighter with their vivid royal blues and brilliant points of white light. An afterword about Leavitt and her discovery, glossary, bibliography, and other resources round out this attractive picture-book biography. Ages 4–8.

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