Dorrit Hoffleit | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1907-03-12)March 12, 1907 |
| Died | April 9, 2007(2007-04-09) (aged 100) |
| Other names | Ellen Dorrit Hoffleit |
| Alma mater | Radcliffe College |
| Known for | Bright Star Catalog |
| Awards | Caroline Wilby Prize George Van Biesbroeck Prize(1988) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy |
| Institutions | Harvard College Observatory,Ballistic Research Laboratory,Harvard University,Yale University,Maria Mitchell Observatory |
| Thesis | On the Spectroscopic Determination of Absolute Magnitudes, With Application to the Southern Stars of Types Later than A. (1938) |
| Doctoral advisor | Bart Bok |
Ellen Dorrit Hoffleit (March 12, 1907 – April 9, 2007)[1] was an American senior researchastronomer atYale University. She is best known for her work invariable stars,astrometry,spectroscopy,meteors, and theBright Star Catalog. She is also known for her mentorship of many young women and generations of astronomers.[2]
Hoffleit's interest in astronomy began with the 1919Perseid meteor shower that she saw with her mother.[3] In 1928, she graduatedcum laude with a B.A. in mathematics. She then went on to work for theHarvard College Observatory, searching for variable stars.[4] In 1938, she was awarded a Ph.D. in astronomy fromRadcliffe College[5] and was subsequently hired, in 1948, as an astronomer atHarvard University. She remained at Harvard until 1956 when she moved toYale University. She remained at Yale until retirement in 1975.[6]
At Yale she followed in the footsteps ofIda Barney, taking over her astrometric work, and of whom she later wrote "To know [her] was a pleasure, inspiration, and privilege, both at work and socially."[7] Hoffleit also served as director of theMaria Mitchell Observatory onNantucket Island from 1957 to 1978, where she ran summer programs (May–October) for more than 100 students, many of whom went on to successful careers in astronomy.[2] In her final years at Yale, Hoffleit taught basic courses in astronomy to undergraduates. Her passionate lectures in Davies Hall, usually with over 100 students, inspired and awed them.[citation needed] She engendered a lifelong interest in astronomy for young women and men, many of whom were just satisfying a prerequisite to their undergraduate degrees.
During the mid 1950s, Hoffleit consulted for theU.S. Army'sBallistic Research Laboratories in "Doppler reductions".[8]
She was the main editor of the YaleBright Star Catalogue. The Catalogue is a compendium of information on the 9,110 brightest stars in the sky. She also co-authoredThe General Catalogue of Trigonometric Stellar Parallaxes, containing precise distance measurements to 8,112 stars, information critical to understanding thekinematics of theMilky Way galaxy and the evolution of thesolar neighborhood. WithHarlan J. Smith, Hoffleit discovered the optical variability of the first-discoveredquasar3C 273.[9]
In 1988, Hoffleit was awarded theGeorge Van Biesbroeck Prize by theAmerican Astronomical Society for a lifetime of service to astronomy. On March 7-8, 1997,Yale University hosted a symposium in honor of Hoffleit's 90th birthday, dedicated to her nearly 70-year career.[10]
Hoffleit turned100 on March 12, 2007, and died a month later from complications of cancer.[11]
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