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Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin. By Smithsonian Institution from the United States

Top 10 Incredible Facts about Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin

Cecilia Helena Payne was born on May 10, 1900, in the market town of Wendover, England, UK, into an upper-class family. Her father, the multi-talented Edward John Payne, was a talented musician, Oxford University fellow, author of major histories, and, later, a barrister and judge. Cecilia decided to become a scientist when she was eight years old. This occurred after she recognized the bee orchid, which she had previously only known from her mother’s description of it. She is best known for discovering the two lightest chemical elements, hydrogen and helium. She was a well-educated lady, and this article honors her accomplishments and discoveries, as well as her incredible facts that you may not have known. Let’s get right to it.

1. Payne was the first person to be awarded a Ph.D. in astronomy 

Radcliffe College. By NYPL.

Payne was the first person to receive a Ph.D. in astronomy from Radcliffe College, the women’s branch of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1925.

Her thesis on stellar atmospheres is her most significant contribution: she linked the line patterns in observed star spectra to their physical conditions. She also discovered that hydrogen, followed by helium, is the most abundant element in stars.

Her accomplishments and discoveries were eventually recognized with awards and honors, culminating in a lifetime achievement lectureship from the American Astronomical Society.

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2.  Payne’s thesis was acknowledged by the most prominent US astronomers

The brilliance of Payne’s thesis was recognized by two of the most prominent US astronomers of the early twentieth century: her supervisor, Harlow Shapley, director of the Harvard College Observatory, and Henry Norris Russell, professor of astronomy at Princeton University in New Jersey.

However, they both agreed that hydrogen is the most important component of stars. She based her theory on a meticulous examination of the Harvard collection’s vast collection of stellar spectra.

It was guided by the predictions of Indian physicist Meghnad Saha’s ionization theory, which links the observed spectrum of a stellar atmosphere (assuming it is a gas in thermal equilibrium) to its temperature, pressure, and composition.

3. She studied physics at the University of Cambridge

The University of Cambridge. By Sandy B,

Moore sheds light on Payne’s development as a brilliant scientist. Her mother had a wide range of interests outside the home, which was unusual in upper-class Edwardian England.

Payne gained knowledge and appreciation for the classics, music, and theater through hours spent in the family library.

Despite her shyness, she persuaded mentors and sponsors to help her study physics at the University of Cambridge after the First World War (which did not award degrees to women at the time). Eddington and atomic physicist Ernest Rutherford influenced her there.

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4. Cecilia Payne was born and raised by a widower in Wendover, England

She was the eldest of three children from a wealthy family. Edward, their father, was an Oxford University fellow, a musician, historian, barrister, and judge. Cecilia inherited her father’s love of music. This was something they enjoyed doing when he was alive. Unfortunately, their father died when she was four years old.

Emma, Cecilia’s mother, was equally gifted. She was an artist who came from a well-educated German family.

She ensured that all of her children received an education and supported her family on her own after her husband died. Cecilia’s brother went on to become an archeologist, and her sister went on to become an architect.

5. She wrote a book together with her husband

During a trip to Europe, Cecilia Payne met Russian-born Sergei Gaposchkin. He wanted to be an astronomer but was being persecuted by the Nazis at the time.

When she returned to the US, she assisted him in obtaining a US visa. They collaborated on papers and a book called Variable Stars.

They eventually married and had kids. Their family was an active member of Lexington’s Unitarian Church.

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6. She earned a Professor position at Harvard 

Harvard Campus, Cambridge, Massachusetts. By Rizka

Cecilia Payne was one of the few women who altered the way the world perceived women. She made history by receiving recognition for her outstanding work, particularly at a time when women’s success is considered taboo.

At the age of 26, she was the youngest scientist listed in the American Men of Science.

She also became a Professor at Harvard and was eventually appointed Chairman of the Department of Astronomy.

This was considered a huge accomplishment because this position was not officially assigned to a woman.  

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7. Cecilia was  the first woman to be awarded Henry Russell Prize

She was also the first woman to receive the Henry Russell Prize from the American Astronomical Society. Cecilia Payne’s outstanding contributions to science changed the norm and empower women in society.

She continued to receive numerous awards year after year, even after she died. Many people had been inspired by her life’s journey and accomplishments. As a result, her shining beacon has proven to be nothing short of stellar in the years to come.

8.  Einstein’s general theory of relativity sparked her interest in astronomy

Cecilia went to St. Paul’s Girls’ School. She was awarded a scholarship to Newnham College, Cambridge University, in 1919, where she studied botany, physics, and chemistry.

She came here to hear Arthur Eddington speak about his 1919 expedition to the island of Principe in the Gulf of Guinea, off the west coast of Africa, to observe and photograph the stars near a solar eclipse as a test of Einstein’s general theory of relativity.

Her interest in astronomy was piqued as a result of this. She described the lecture as follows: “As a result, my worldview was completely transformed. My world had been shattered to the point where I had a nervous breakdown.” She finished her studies but was denied a degree due to her gender; Cambridge did not grant degrees to women until 1948.

9. Payne studied stars of high luminosity

Payne used her doctorate to study high-luminosity stars in order to better understand the structure of the Milky Way. She later went through all the stars brighter than the tenth magnitude.

She then studied variable stars with her assistants, making over 1,250,000 observations. This work was later extended to the Magellanic Clouds, resulting in an additional 2,000,000 observations of variable stars.

These data were used to calculate stellar evolution paths. Her findings were published in her second book, Stars of High Luminosity (1930).

Her observations and analysis of variable stars with her husband, Sergei Gaposchkin, formed the foundation for all subsequent work on them.

10. She remained scientifically active throughout her life

Payne-Gaposchkin. Picture Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution

Payne-Gaposchkin remained a scientist her entire life, spending her entire academic career at Harvard. She had no official position at first, only working as a technical assistant to Shapley from 1927 to 1938.

She considered leaving Harvard at one point due to her low status and low salary. Shapley, on the other hand, worked hard to advance her position, and she was appointed “Astronomer” in 1938.

She later requested that her title be changed to Phillips Astronomer. In 1943, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Until 1945, none of the courses she taught at Harvard were cataloged.