Cross-post: Annie Walker observed thousands of stars between 1879 and 1903

By Donna Ferguson

A coloured print of Cambridge Observatory circa 1829. Annie Walker began working there in 1879 aged just 15. Photograph: Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge, via The Guardian.

For more than a century, astronomers assumed she had simply “computed” complex calculations for the Victorian men who had exclusive use of Cambridge Observatory telescopes.

But researchers now say that Annie Walker – a Victorian woman who began working at the observatory in 1879, when she was only 15 – actually observed thousands of stars herself.

Walker worked as an astronomer until 1903, when a change in leadership meant she was passed over for a promotion by the new director who didn't approve of women working, especially in astronomy. 

Read more of Annie Walker's story in The Guardian:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/jun/30/unsung-observatory-worker-uk-first-professional-female-astronomer-annie-walker