Annie Jump Cannon, Astronomer

This illustrated biography of the woman who holds the world record for identifying stars is “an excellent book about a true astronomical pioneer” (Paul Kohlmiller, editor, San Jose Astronomical Association newsletter).

This brilliantly illustrated children’s book depicts the achievements of a woman who developed an important system of classifying stars. To this day, Annie Jump Cannon holds the record for identifying more stars than anyone else in the world. In 1925, she became a professor of astronomy at Harvard and the first woman to receive a Doctor of Science degree from Oxford University.

Born during the Civil War, Cannon was determined to pursue a career in astronomy. From her childhood days of studying the constellations with her mother, to her education at Wellesley College and her job in the Harvard Observatory, this biography by a winner of the John Burroughs Nature Writing Award follows Cannon’s inspirational path to success. It notes the challenges the astronomer faced, such as an illness that left her partially deaf and gender discrimination, while capturing her shining moments as she worked to become the “census-taker of the stars.”