Henrietta Leavitt
Sierra Madre Playhouse
87 W Sierra Madre Blvd
19
Henrietta Leavitt (1868-1921) was an American astronomer who, in the late 19th century, discovered a method of measuring distances to stars. When Henrietta Leavitt began work at the Harvard Observatory, she didn't begin by looking through a telescope but by joining a group of women "computers" who charted the stars as a vital part of the world's first study of the sky done from photographs. Through her discoveries, she found a ruler to measure the size of the universe.
She is also the real-life inspiration for the protagonist of Lauren Gunderson's play based on her story, Silent Sky, now playing live on stage at Sierra Madre Playhouse through October 9.
Vote by noon on 10/27 in person at Creative Arts Group, or on