Isis Pogson
Elizabeth Isis Pogson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 September 1852 Oxford, England |
| Died | 14 May 1945 (aged 92) Croydon, London |
| Nationality | British |
| Other names | Elizabeth Isis Kent |
| Known for | Astronomy |
Elizabeth Isis Pogson (28 September 1852 – 14 May 1945) was a British astronomer and meteorologist.
Biography
Early life
Pogson was born in Oxford, England, the eldest[1] daughter of Norman Pogson in his first marriage to Elizabeth Jane Ambrose (d. 1869).[2] She was likely named after the River Isis, the part of the River Thames that flows through Oxford.[3]
Role of her father
Her father was an assistant at Radcliffe Observatory and then at Hartwell Observatory. He discovered the asteroid 42 Isis on May 23, 1856,[3][4] for which he was awarded the Lalande Prize.[5] The asteroid was named by Professor Manuel John Johnson, director of the Radcliffe Observatory, presumably in honor of Pogson's daughter Isis; it could also have been a reference to the River Isis.[3]
When her father became director of the Madras Observatory in Madras, India, in October 1860, he travelled to his new post with his first wife and three[4] of his 11[2] children, including Isis. His wife died in 1869, and he relied upon Isis to look after his other children.[6] She also worked in India as her father's assistant.[5] She was given the post of computer at the observatory in 1873 with the salary of 150 rupees,[6][7] equivalent to a "cook or coach-man",[5] and worked there for 25 years until she retired with a pension of 250 rupees[6] in 1898, when the observatory closed. She later served as the meteorological reporter for the Madras government.[1]
First women to join Royal Astronomical Society
Pogson was the first woman to attempt to join the Royal Astronomical Society, being nominated (unsuccessfully) by her father in 1886.[5] Her nomination was withdrawn when two attorneys deemed female fellows illegal.[8] She was successfully nominated in 1920 by Oxford professor H. H. Turner, five years after the Royal Astronomical Society first opened its doors to women.[6][9]
Personal
After retiring from astronomy, she married Herbert Clement Kent, a captain in the Merchant Navy,[6] on August 17, 1902 in Red Hill, Queensland, Australia.[1] The couple returned to England, living in Bournemouth and then London. Pogson died in Croydon.[6]
References
- ^ a b c "Marriages: Kent–Pogson". The Queenslander. 23 August 1902. p. 400. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
- ^ a b Trimble, Virginia ; et al. (2007). The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers, Volume 2. Springer. p. 920. ISBN 0387310223.
{{cite book}}: Explicit use of et al. in:|first=(help) - ^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2009). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer. p. 15. ISBN 3642019668.
- ^ a b Reddy, V., Snedegar, K., & Balasubramanian, R. K. "Scaling the magnitude: The fall and rise of N. R. Pogson". Journal of the British Astronomical Association. 117 (5): 237–245.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d Brück, Mary (2009). Women in Early British and Irish Astronomy. Springer. p. 157. ISBN 978-90-481-2472-5.
- ^ a b c d e f Hutchins, Roger (2004). Pogson, Norman Robert (1829–1891). Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^ Kidwell, Peggy Aldrich (September 1984). "Women Astronomers in Britain, 1780-1930". Isis. 75 (3).
- ^ Ogilvie, Marilyn Bailey (1986). Women in science : antiquity through the nineteenth century : a biographical dictionary with annotated bibliography (3. print. ed.). Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press. ISBN 026265038X.
- ^ Hockey, Thomas (2007). The biographical encyclopedia of astronomers ([Online-Ausg.] ed.). New York, NY: Springer. ISBN 9780387310220.