Enunciation

Observations and context

Henrietta Swan Leavitt is part of the group known as the Harvard Computers, a team of women who made significant advances in the classification of astronomical data at the Harvard Observatory from 1877 to 1919 under the direction of Charles Pickering (1846–1919). Among these women were Williamina Fleming, Annie Jump Cannon, and Antonia Maury. From this group emerged one of the most groundbreaking theses in astronomy, written by Cecilia Payne, who demonstrated, contrary to the beliefs of her mentors, that stars were composed primarily of hydrogen. The scientific community at the time dismissively referred to them as "Pickering's Harem." Despite their crucial contributions, their salaries were comparable to those of unskilled workers. Their work was largely overshadowed, with credit often going to their male superiors, particularly Edward Pickering and Edwin Hubble.

Description

This activity's objective is to understand the order of magnitude of the distances between different celestial bodies. It can also be incorporated into Block 1: Scientific Activity, as it provides an opportunity to practice unit conversions.

Answer

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