Henrietta Leavitt

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.