The Glass Universe

How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars

By: Dava Sobel

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Dava Sobel, the "inspiring" (People), little-known true story of women's landmark contributions to astronomy

A New York Times Book Review Notable Book of 2017

Named one of the best books of the year by NPR, The Economist, Smithsonian, Nature, and NPR's Science Friday

Nominated for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award

"A joy to read.” —The Wall Street Journal

In the mid-nineteenth century, the Harvard College Observatory began employing women as calculators, or “human computers,” to interpret the observations their male counterparts made via telescope each night. At the outset this group included the wives, sisters, and daughters of the resident astronomers, but soon the female corps included graduates of the new women's colleges—Vassar, Wellesley, and Smith. As photography transformed the practice of astronomy, the ladies turned from computation to studying the stars captured nightly on glass photographic plates.

The “glass universe” of half a million plates that Harvard amassed over the ensuing decades—through the generous support of Mrs. Anna Palmer Draper, the widow of a pioneer in stellar photography—enabled the women to make extraordinary discoveries that attracted worldwide acclaim. They helped discern what stars were made of, divided the stars into meaningful categories for further research, and found a way to measure distances across space by starlight. Their ranks included Williamina Fleming, a Scottish woman originally hired as a maid who went on to identify ten novae and more than three hundred variable stars; Annie Jump Cannon, who designed a stellar classification system that was adopted by astronomers the world over and is still in use; and Dr. Cecilia Helena Payne, who in 1956 became the first ever woman professor of astronomy at Harvard—and Harvard’s first female department chair.

Elegantly written and enriched by excerpts from letters, diaries, and memoirs, The Glass Universe is the hidden history of the women whose contributions to the burgeoning field of astronomy forever changed our understanding of the stars and our place in the universe.

fabulous book on history of computers history of astronomy

this is an important chapter in the history of computers and is a direct link to the Aberdeen proving grounds that were part of the eniac six story very highly recommended, and a view into a lost past America

Interesting history

I enjoyed learning about all the women who have been a part of astronomy’s history and especially the vast amount of contributions they made over the years. It is encouraging to read of their achievements back in the 1800s. The story was a bit dry at times and lacked intrigue but was read well.

Not what I expected

Super dry... Fact filled.
Don't get me wrong, it was an interesting listen but I know nothing of astronomy and was looking for an empowering story about women. What I got was a very dry account of historical facts. Someone in the field would probably enjoy this history lesson a great deal

Wonderful story about amazing women!

Listen to multiple times. Enthralling story wanted more. Once again real life is better than fiction.

Incredible, well researched story

I am a fan of astronomy and history, so this book hits a sweet spot for me. Learning about the early history of astro-photography and spectrography, and seeing how much they contributed to the science of astronomy is fascinating enough. But to learn of these incredible women who persevered and contributed so much is a huge bonus. Williamina Fleming, Annie Jump Cannon, Henrietta Leavitt, Cecilia Payne. Antonia Maurey and Harvard’s benefactors Anna Palmer and Catherine Bruce along with the leadership of Edward Pickering and a host of others shows how much they all had a hand in understanding the universe.
Also, the narration is the best of the over 100 Audible books I have listened. Not over the top, but distinctive enough that you can immediately recognize the character before their name is added. I have read the book, but listening to it was an absolute joy.