Maury, Antonia Caetana de Paiva Pereira

Born Cold Springs, New York, USA, 21 March 1866

Died Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, USA, 8 January 1952

American spectroscopist Antonia Maury discovered a way of recognizing supergiant stars from their spectra, even when their distances could not be measured. She was the granddaughter of John William Draper , the first person to photograph the Moon, the niece of Henry Draper , another keen amateur astronomer, and the daughter of Mytton and Virginia (née Draper) Maury. Her father, an Episcopalian priest, edited volumes in natural history; a sister became a paleontologist and a cousin an oceanographer. Maury was taught largely by her father and uncle, going on to Vassar College, New York, where she was one of the last students of Maria Mitchell , and received a BA in 1887.

In 1888, Maury was employed by Edward Pickering at Harvard College Observatory as part of a program to determine the spectral types of stars. The program was funded by a memorial contribution from Henry Draper’s wife...