Figure from‘ A New Star in
Centaurus. The New Algol Variable in Delphinus.’ Astronomische Nachrichten, January 1896. from the spectrum of the galaxy NGC 5253, was just one of the“ new stars” or novae that she gained world renown for discovering. 10 In the paper announcing the supernova discovery, a table listed fourteen novae documented between 1572 and 1895. Fleming’ s name was the only one to repeat, appearing four times, alongside men like Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler. By the time of her death, she had discovered an astounding nine novae, as well as the supernova.
In 1899, Williamina Fleming was appointed Curator of Astronomical Photographs by the Harvard Corporation, becoming the first woman to hold any official position at Harvard University. Since 1893, she had managed the growing plate collection, overseeing researchers, preparing publications, and preserving the collection. Her name appeared on the list of Harvard’ s Officers of Instruction and Administration among the Observatory’ s eleven officers. 11
In the early spring of the following year, Fleming was selected by the University Librarian, William Coolidge Lane, to keep a diary for the month of March 1900, a document that was to be included in a time capsule with those of seventy other students, faculty, and staff. Across twenty-two pages, she documented both her personal and professional activities for the month of March 1900. 12
From this diary, we know Williamina was living at 273 Upland Road in Cambridge with her son, Edward, who was in his junior year at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
as well as Mary Hegarty, an Irish housemaid. 13 Her home and work life were clearly intertwined. She writes often of her coworker, trailblazing astronomer Annie Jump Cannon, and mathematician Mary Esther Trueblood, who appear to be boarding in or near the house, 14 as well as Edward’ s friend Nyle Fish. 15 Cannon, known for classifying 350,000 stars and completing the Harvard Standard Stellar Classification, 16 was later the first female to receive an honorary PhD from Oxford; she was also a noted suffragist. 17 Trueblood spent the year as a fellow at the Boston School of Housekeeping, developing a program that combined finishing school with housemaid training. 18
Fleming’ s diary is very candid about her struggles as a female employee who was also a single head of household. On March 10, 1900, she recalls being conflicted about asking Pickering to allow Jeanette Bailey to work at the Observatory without being paid:“ it would not be good policy for the Observatory to place itself under obligations to such an assistant for services rendered gratis.” 19 It might have been this need to discuss hiring Bailey with Pickering the next day that brought up the subject of her own salary:
“ I am immediately told that I receive an excellent salary as women’ s salaries stand. If he would only take some steps to find out how much he is mistaken in regard to this, he would learn a few facts that would open his eyes and set him thinking. Sometimes I feel tempted to give up and let him try someone
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