List of women astronomers

Maria Mitchell (1818–1889)
Professor of astronomy at Vassar College

The following is a list of astronomers, astrophysicists and other notable women who have made contributions to the field of astronomy.

Contents

• A
• B
• C
• D
• E
• F
• G
• H
• I
• J
• K
• L
• M
• N
• O
• P
• Q
• R
• S
• T
• U
• V
• W
• X
• Y
• Z

A

• Madge Adam (1912–2001), English solar astronomer
• Maggie Aderin-Pocock (born 1968), English space scientist
• Conny Aerts (born 1966), Belgian astrophysicist specializing in asteroseismology
• Aglaonike (c. 1st or 2nd Century BCE), ancient Greek astronomer and thaumaturge
• María Luisa Aguilar Hurtado (1938–2015), Peruvian astronomer
• Eva Ahnert-Rohlfs (1912–1954), German variable star astronomer
• Elizabeth Alexander (1908–1958), English geologist and physicist
• Leah B. Allen (1884–1973), American astronomer and educator
• Adelaide Ames (1900–1932), American astronomer
• Anja Cetti Andersen (born 1965), Danish astronomer focused on cosmic dust
• Necia H. Apfel (born 1930), American astronomer and educator
• Alice Archenhold (1874–1943), German astronomer
• Anne Archibald, Canadian astronomer and educator

B

Jocelyn Bell Burnell

• Neta Bahcall (born 1942), Israeli astrophysicist and cosmologist specializing in dark matter
• Odette Bancilhon (1908–1998), French astronomer
• Kirsten Banks Wiradjuri astronomer researching red giant stars
• Beatriz Barbuy (born 1950), Brazilian astrophysicist
• Amy Barger (born 1971), American galactic astronomer
• Nadine G. Barlow (1958–2020), American planetary scientist
• Amy Barr, American planetary geophysicist
• Maria A. Barucci, Italian astronomer
• Sarbani Basu, Indian-American astronomer working in solar and stellar astrophysics
• Natalie Batalha (born 1966), American astronomer
• Stefi Baum (born 1958), American astronomer and educator
• Reta Beebe (born 1936), American planetary scientist
• Sabine Bellstedt  [ d ], Australian astronomer studying galaxy evolution
• Emilia Pisani Belserene (1922–2012), American astronomer
• Misty C. Bentz (born 1980), American astronomer
• Beverly Berger, American physicist working on gravitational physics, especially gravitational waves, gravitons, and gravitational singularities
• Alessandra Buonanno (born 1968), Italian-American theoretical physicist working in the field of gravitational wave astronomy and general relativity
• Jocelyn Bell Burnell (born 1943), Irish radio astronomer
• Mary Adela Blagg (1858–1944), English selenologist
• Erika Böhm-Vitense (1923–2017), German-born American stellar astronomer
• Priscilla Fairfield Bok (1896–1975), American astronomer of galactic astronomy
• Tabetha S. Boyajian (born c. 1980), American stellar and exoplanetary astronomer
• Sophia Brahe (c. 1559 to 1643), Danish noble woman
• Ingeborg Brun (1872–1929), Danish amateur astronomer
• Margaret Burbidge (1919–2020), British-American observational astronomer and astrophysicist
• Marta Burgay (born 1976), Italian radio astronomer
• Mary E. Byrd (1849–1934), American educator and cometary observer

C

Annie Jump Cannon 1922 Portrait

• Annie Jump Cannon (1863−1941), American astronomer who cataloged stellar spectra
• Robin M. Canup (born 1968), American planetary scientist
• Nicole Capitaine (born 1948), French astronomer specializing in astrometry
• C. Marcella Carollo, Italian astronomer studying galaxy formation and evolution
• Catherine Cesarsky (born 1943), Argentinian–French astrophysicist
• Merieme Chadid (born 1969), Moroccan-French astronomer
• Kyongae Chang (born 1946), South Korean astrophysicist and instructor
• Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen (1751–1827), German noble and patron of astronomy
• Jun Chen, Chinese–American astronomer
• Lyudmila Chernykh (1935–2017), Russian astronomer
• Jessie Christiansen, Australian astrophysicist
• Agnes Mary Clerke (1842–1907), Irish astronomer and author
• Judith Gamora Cohen (born 1946), American astronomer researching galactic astronomy
• Françoise Combes (born 1952), French astrophysicist and educator
• Lynn Cominsky (born 1953), American astrophysicist and educator
• Janine Connes (1926–2024), French astronomer
• France A. Córdova (born 1947), American astrophysicist and administrator
• Heather Couper (1949–2020), English astronomer, broadcaster and science populariser
• Athena Coustenis, Greek planetary scientist
• Carolin Crawford, English astrophysicist and educator
• Lucy D’Escoffier Crespo da Silva (1978–2000), Brazilian astronomy student
• Maria Cunitz (1610–1664), Silesian astronomer and author

D

• Rosina Dafter (1875–1959), Australian astronomer
• Ruth Agnes Daly (born 1958), American astrophysicist
• Laura Danly (born 1958), American astronomer and educator
• Doris Daou (born 1964), Lebanese-Canada astronomer and educator
• Tamara Davis, Australian astrophysicist studying cosmology and specialising in the dark energy
• Marie-Jeanne de Lalande (1768–1832), French astronomer and mathematician
• Audrey C. Delsanti (born 1976), French astrobiologist
• Krystal De Napoli , Kamilaroi astrophysicist
• Elsa van Dien (1914–2007), Dutch astronomer
• Harriet Dinerstein, American astronomer
• Ewine van Dishoeck (born 1955), Dutch astrochemist
• Anlaug Amanda Djupvik, Norwegian stellar astronomer
• Megan Donahue, American astronomer and instructor
• Vibert Douglas (1894–1988), Canadian astrophysicist
• Laura Driessen  [ d ], Australian radio astronomer and science communicator
• Jeanne Dumée (1660–1706), French astronomer and author
• Jo Dunkley (1979/1980), British cosmologist
• Andrea Dupree, American astrophysicist

E

• Maria Clara Eimmart (1676–1707), German astronomer, engraver, and designer
• Sara Ellison, Canadian astronomer and instructor studying extragalactic astronomy
• Rebecca Elson (1960–1999), Canadian–American astronomer and writer

F

Caroline Furness (1918)

• Sandra Faber (born 1944), American astrophysicist and instructor studying galactic evolution
• Annette Ferguson, Scottish observational astrophysicist
• Laura Ferrarese, Italian astronomer studying supermassive black holes
• Debra Fischer, American astronomer investigating exoplanets
• Gabrielle Renaudot Flammarion (1877–1962), French astronomer
• Williamina Fleming (1857–1911), Scottish astronomer
• Anna Frebel (born 1980), German astronomer
• Wendy Freedman (born 1957), Canadian-American observational cosmologist
• Katherine Freese (born 1957), German theoretical astrophysicist
• Caroline Furness (1869–1936), American astronomer and teacher

G

• Catharine Garmany (born 1946), American astronomer and educator
• Pamela L. Gay (born 1973), American astronomer, educator, and writer
• Vera Fedorovna Gaze (1899–1954), Russian astronomer who studied emission nebula and minor planets
• Margaret Geller (born 1947), American astrophysicist studying extragalactic astronomy
• Andrea M. Ghez (born 1965), American astronomer, teacher, and Nobel prize winner
• Agnes Giberne (1845–1939), English novelist and scientific writer
• Nüzhet Gökdoğan (1910–2003), Turkish astronomer, mathematician and academic
• Merle Gold (1921–2017), American astrophysicist
• Andreja Gomboc (born 1969), Slovenian astrophysicist
• Gabriela González (born 1965), Argentine professor of physics and astronomy
• Alyssa A. Goodman (born 1962), American astrophysicist
• Eva Grebel, German astronomer studying stellar populations and galaxy formation
• Lucie Green (born c. 1975), English science communicator and solar researcher
• Jenny Greene (born 1978), American astrophysicist and teacher studying supermassive black holes and galaxies
• Ruth Grützbauch (born 1978), Austrian astronomer

H

Caroline Herschel (1750–1848)

• Margherita Hack (1922–2013), Italian astrophysicist and first female director of Trieste's Observatory
• Erika Hamden, American astrophysicist and instructor
• Heidi Hammel (born 1960), American planetary scientist
• Fiona A. Harrison, American astrophysicist
• Marjorie Hall Harrison (1918–1986), English-born American astronomer
• Lisa Harvey-Smith (born 1979), British-Australian astrophysicist
• Margaret Harwood (1885–1979), American astronomer
• Martha P. Haynes (born 1951), American astronomer specialized in radio astronomy and extragalactic astronomy
• Martha Locke Hazen (1931–2006), American astronomer
• E. Ruth Hedeman (1910–2006), American solar astronomer
• Mary Lea Heger (1897–1983), American astronomer who studied the interstellar medium
• Charlene Heisler (1961–1999), Canadian astronomer
• Eleanor F. Helin (1932–2009), American astronomer who studied near–Earth asteroids
• Amina Helmi (born 1970), Argentine astronomer
• Amanda Hendrix (born 1968), American planetary scientist
• Caroline Herschel (1750–1848), German astronomer
• Elisabeth Hevelius (1647–1693), Polish astronomer
• Jacqueline Hewitt (born 1958), American astrophysicist
• Catherine Heymans (born 1978), British astrophysicist and instructor
• Renée Hložek (born 1983), South African cosmologist
• Dorrit Hoffleit (1907–2007), American astronomer
• Helen Sawyer Hogg (1905–1993), American-Canadian astronomer
• Ann Hornschemeier, American astronomer studying X-ray astronomy
• Joan Horvath, American aeronautical engineer and writer
• Nancy Houk, American astronomer
• Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld (1921–2015), Dutch astronomer studying minor planets
• Margaret Lindsay Huggins (1848–1915), Irish-English scientific investigator and astronomer
• Carolyn Hurless (1934–1987), American astronomer and an American Association of Variable Star Observers merit award winner.
• Natasha Hurley-Walker  [ d ], Australian radio astronomer who discovered long-period radio transients
• Hypatia (c. 350–370 to 415), Hellenistic Neoplatonist philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician

I

• Violeta G. Ivanova, Bulgarian astronomer
• Al-ʻIjliyyah (c. 10th-century), Arab maker of astrolabes

J

• Odette Jasse (1899–1949), French astronomer at Marseille Observatory
• Louise Freeland Jenkins (1888–1970), American astronomer of stellar astronomy
• Carole Jordan (born 1941), English physicist, astrophysicist, astronomer and academic

K

Dorothea Klumpke (1861–1942)

• Vicky Kalogera, Greek astrophysicist
• Devika Kamath, Australian astrophysicist
• Lyudmila Karachkina (born 1948), Russian astronomer studying astrometry and minor planets
• Victoria Kaspi (born 1967), American-Canadian astrophysicist and instructor
• Lisa Kewley (born 1974), Australian astronomer studying galactic evolution
• Pamela M. Kilmartin, New Zealand astronomer searching for comets and minor planets
• Maria Margarethe Kirch (1670–1720), German astronomer and calendar maker
• Margaret G. Kivelson (born 1928), American planetary scientist
• Dorothea Klumpke (1861–1942), American astronomer
• Gillian R. Knapp, American astronomer
• Kirsten Kraiberg Knudsen, Danish astronomer studying galaxies
• Heather A. Knutson, American astronomer studying exoplanets
• Gloria Koenigsberger, Mexican astrophysicist and instructor
• Bärbel Koribalski, German astrophysicist studying galaxy formation and evolution
• Lenka Kotková (born 1973), Czech astronomer
• Chryssa Kouveliotou (born 1953), Greek astrophysicist and instructor
• Reiki Kushida, Japanese amateur astronomer

L

Henrietta Swan Leavitt (1868–1921)

• Elizabeth Lada, American astronomer and instructor
• Eleanor Annie Lamson (1875–1932), American astronomer
• Marguerite Laugier (1896–1976), French astronomer who discovered minor planets
• Gemma Lavender (born 1986), British astronomer, author and journalist
• Henrietta Swan Leavitt (1868–1921), American astronomer who observed variable stars
• Nicole-Reine Lepaute (1723–1788), French astronomer and mathematician
• Isabel Martin Lewis (1881–1966), American astronomer and author
• Nikole Lewis, American astrophysicist
• Helen Lines (1918–2001), American amateur astronomer
• Sarah Lee Lippincott (1920–2019), American astronomer and instructor who focused on astrometry
• Jane Luu (born 1963), Vietnamese–American astronomer and defense systems engineer

M

• Amy Mainzer (born 1974), American astronomer specializing in astrophysical instrumentation and infrared astronomy
• Esmeralda Mallada (1937–2023), Uruguayan astronomer and instructor
• Rachel Mandelbaum, American astronomer
• Mileva Marić (1875–1948), Serbian physicist and mathematician studying astonomy among other topics
• Karen Masters (born 1979), American astrophysicist studying galaxy formation and evolution
• Janet Akyüz Mattei (1943–2004), Turkish-American astronomer studying variable stars
• Annie Russell Maunder (1868–1947), Irish-British astronomer
• Antonia Maury (1866–1952), American astronomer studying stellar astronomy
• Claire Ellen Max (born 1946), American astronomer and instructor
• Margaret Mayall (1902–1995), American astronomer studying variable stars
• Jess McIver , American astronomer
• Jaylee Burley Mead (1929–2012), American astronomer
• Karen Jean Meech (born 1959), American planetary scientist
• Chiara Mingarelli, Italian-Canadian astrophysicist, researching gravitational waves
• Maria Mitchell (1818–1889), American astronomer, librarian, naturalist, and educator
• Linda A. Morabito (born 1953), American planetary scientist
• Vanessa Moss, Australian radio astronomer, researching galaxy evolution
• Jean Mueller (born 1950), American astronomer
• Carole Mundell, Brittish observational astrophysicist, researching cosmic black holes and gamma ray bursts
• Tara Murphy, Australian astrophysicist
• Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil, Turkish astrophysicist

N

• Sultana N. Nahar, Bangladeshi-American physicist studying atomic processes in astrophysical and laboratory plasmas
• Joan Najita, American astronomer researching the formation and evolution of stars and planetary systems
• Yaël Nazé, Belgian astrophysicist studying massive stars and their environmental interaction
• Heidi Jo Newberg, American astrophysicist studying the Milky Way structure
• Karlie Noon, Gamilaroi astrophysicist

O

Carolina Ödman-Govender in 2013.

• Carolina Ödman-Govender, (1974–2022), Swiss astrophysicist and lecturer
• Sally Oey, American astronomer researching massive stars
• Kathleen Ollerenshaw, (1912–2014), English mathematician, politician, and amateur astronomer
• C. Michelle Olmstead (born 1969), American astronomer and computer scientist who has discovered minor planets
• Liisi Oterma (1915–2001), Finnish astronomer
• Mazlan Othman (born 1951), Malaysian astrophysicist
• Feryal Özel (born 1975), Turkish astrophysicist studying stellar remnants

P

• M. Alessandra Papa (born 1967), Italian physicist specializing in the observation of gravitational waves
• Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (1900–1979), British-born American astrophysicist and instructor
• Ruby Payne-Scott (1912–1981), Australian radio astronomer
• Louise du Pierry (1746–1807), French astronomer and instructor
• Carle Pieters (born 1943), American planetary scientist
• Thushara Pillai, (born 1980), Indian astrophysicist and astronomer
• Paris Pişmiş (1911–1999), Armenian-Mexican astronomer
• Elena V. Pitjeva, Russian astronomer studying solar system dynamics and celestial mechanics
• Carolyn Porco (born 1953), American planetary scientist
• Helen Dodson Prince (1905–2002), American astronomer and instructor
• Mary Proctor (1862–1957), American popularizer of astronomy

Q

Elisa Quintana in 2014

• Elisa Quintana, American planetary scientist

R

• Hilkka Rantaseppä-Helenius (1925–1975), Finnish astronomer who studied minor planets
• Luisa Rebull, American stellar astronomer
• Katharine Reeves, American solar astronomer
• Emily Rice, American astronomer researching sub-stellar objects including brown dwarfs
• Christina Richey, American planetary scientist and astrophysicist
• Marcia Rieke, American infrared astronomer and JWST NIRCam PI
• Julia Riley (born 1947), English radio astronomer
• Constance M. Rockosi, American galactic astronomer
• Elizabeth Roemer (1929–2016), American astronomer who studied minor planets
• Nancy Roman (1925–2018), American stellar astronomer
• Kat Ross  [ d ], Australian astrophysicist studying black holes
• Marta Graciela Rovira, Argentinian astrophysicist
• Vera Rubin (1928–2016), American astronomer researching extragalactic astronomy
• María Teresa Ruiz (born 1946), Chilean astronomer

S

Carolyn S. Shoemaker

• Penny Sackett (born 1956), American-born Australian astronomer, educator, and manager
• Rita M. Sambruna, American astrophysicist studying supermassive black holes and jets
• Anneila Sargent (born 1942), Scottish–American astronomer specialized in star formation
• Ann Savage (1946–2017), British astronomer
• Caterina Scarpellini (1808–1873), Italian astronomer and meteorologist
• Susan M. Scott, Australian mathematical physicist working on general relativity, gravitational singularities, and black holes.
• Sara Seager (born 1971), Canadian-American astronomer and planetary scientist
• Waltraut Seitter (1930–2007), German astronomer and instructor
• Muriel Mussells Seyfert (1909–1997), American astronomer
• Pelageya Shajn (1894–1956), Russian astronomer searching for minor planets
• Aomawa Shields, American astrophysicist and professor researching exoplanets
• Carolyn S. Shoemaker (1929–2021), American astronomer
• Amy Simon, American planetary scientist
• Charlotte Moore Sitterly (1898–1990), American astronomer who studied stellar physics
• Tamara Mikhaylovna Smirnova (1935–2001), Russian astronomer who searched for minor planets and comets
• Alicia M. Soderberg (1977–2025), American astrophysicist and instructor focused on supernovae
• Mary Somerville (1780–1872), Scottish scientist, writer, and polymath
• Linda Spilker (born 1955), American planetary scientist
• Ingrid Stairs, Canadian astronomer
• Denise Stephens, American astronomer and instructor
• Sarah Stewart-Mukhopadhyay, American planetary scientist
• Annapurni Subramaniam, director of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics
• Karlina Leksono Supelli (born 1958), Indonesian philosopher and astronomer
• Jean Swank, American astrophysicist studying compact objects
• Henrietta Hill Swope (1902–1980), American astronomer who studied variable stars
• Nadezhda Sytinskaya (1906–1974), Soviet astronomer and planetary scientist
• Paula Szkody (born 1948), American astronomer and instructor specialized in cataclysmic variable stars

T

• Jill Tarter (born 1944), American astronomer focused on SETI
• Florence Taylor Hildred (1865–1932), English astronomer and pastor
• Alenush Terian (1921–2011), Iranian-Armenian astronomer
• Michelle Thaller (born 1969), American astronomer and educator
• Jana Tichá (born 1965), Czech astronomer searching for minor planets
• Beatrice Tinsley (1941–1981), British-born New Zealand astronomer studying galactic evolution
• Maura Tombelli (born 1952), Italian amateur astronomer
• Christy A. Tremonti, American astronomer
• Virginia Louise Trimble (born 1943), American astronomer
• Lidiya Tseraskaya (1855–1931), Russian astronomer
• Margaret Turnbull (born 1975), American astronomer and astrobiologist

U

• Anne Barbara Underhill (1920–2003), Canadian astrophysicist who studied massive stars
• Meg Urry, American astrophysicist studying supermassive black holes and galaxies

V

• Bobbie Vaile (1959–1996), Australian astrophysicist and lecturer
• Zdeňka Vávrová (born 1945), Czech astronomer
• Faith Vilas, American planetary scientist
• Julie Vinter Hansen (1890–1960), Danish astronomer
• Emma Vyssotsky (1894–1975), American astronomer who studied astrometry

W

Sarah Frances Whiting (1847–1927)

• Lucianne Walkowicz (born 1979), American astronomer
• Wang Zhenyi (1768–1797), Chinese astronomer, mathematician, and poet
• Kim Weaver (born 1964), American astrophysicist and instructor focused on X-ray astronomy
• Sara Webb, Australian astrophysicist
• Alycia J. Weinberger, American astronomer studying planetary formation
• Mareta West (1915–1998), American astrogeologist
• Sarah Frances Whiting (1847–1927), American physicist, astronomer, and instructor
• Mary Watson Whitney (1847–1921), American astronomer and teacher
• Belinda Wilkes, English astrophysicist
• Beth Willman, American cosmologist
• Lee Anne Willson (born 1947), American astronomer
• Anna Winlock (1857–1904), American astronomer
• Jennifer Wiseman, American astrophysicist
• Rosemary Wyse (born 1957), Scottish astrophysicist and instructor
• Frances Woodworth Wright (1897–1989), American astronomer and educator
• Gillian Wright, Scottish astronomer
• Barbara A. Williams, American radio astronomer

Y

• Ye Shuhua (born 1927), Chinese astronomer and instructor
• Anne Sewell Young (1871–1961), American astronomer who studied variable stars
• Judith Young (1952–2014), American physicist, astronomer, and educator
• Louise Gray Young (1935–2018), American astronomer and researcher

Z

• Magdalena Zeger  [ de; es; ja ] (around 1491–1568), calendar maker, astronomer, first women to publish independently in the field of astronomy
• Lyudmila Zhuravleva (born 1946), Russian-Ukrainian astronomer who discovered minor planets
• Maria Zuber (born 1958), American planetary scientist

See also

• List of astronomers
• List of astronomical instrument makers
• List of French astronomers
• List of Russian astronomers and astrophysicists
• Annie Jump Cannon Award in Astronomy

External links

• More information on women astronomers