List of women astronomers
The following is a list of astronomers, astrophysicists and other notable women who have made contributions to the field of astronomy.
A
- Madge Adam, English solar astronomer
- Maggie Aderin-Pocock, English space scientist
- Conny Aerts, Belgian astrophysicist specializing in asteroseismology
- Aglaonike, ancient Greek astronomer and thaumaturge
- María Luisa Aguilar Hurtado, Peruvian astronomer
- Eva Ahnert-Rohlfs, German variable star astronomer
- Elizabeth Alexander, English geologist and physicist
- Leah B. Allen, American astronomer and educator
- Adelaide Ames, American astronomer
- Anja Cetti Andersen, Danish astronomer focused on cosmic dust
- Necia H. Apfel, American astronomer and educator
- Alice Archenhold, German astronomer
- Anne Archibald, Canadian astronomer and educator
- Felicitas Arias,, Argentine astronomer and expert on geodesy
- Gabriella Conti Armellini, Italian astronomer
B
- Neta Bahcall, Israeli astrophysicist and cosmologist specializing in dark matter
- Odette Bancilhon, French astronomer
- Kirsten Banks Wiradjuri astronomer researching red giant stars
- Beatriz Barbuy, Brazilian astrophysicist
- Amy Barger, American galactic astronomer
- Nadine G. Barlow, American planetary scientist
- Amy Barr, American planetary geophysicist
- Maria A. Barucci, Italian astronomer
- Sarbani Basu, Indian-American astronomer working in solar and stellar astrophysics
- Natalie Batalha, American astronomer
- Stefi Baum, American astronomer and educator
- Bohumila Bednářová, Czech astronomer
- Reta Beebe, American planetary scientist
- , Australian astronomer studying galaxy evolution
- Emilia Pisani Belserene, American astronomer
- Misty C. Bentz, American astronomer
- Beverly Berger, American physicist working on gravitational physics, especially gravitational waves, gravitons, and gravitational singularities
- Alessandra Buonanno, Italian-American theoretical physicist working in the field of gravitational wave astronomy and general relativity
- Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Irish radio astronomer
- Mary Adela Blagg, English selenologist
- Erika Böhm-Vitense, German-born American stellar astronomer
- Priscilla Fairfield Bok, American astronomer of galactic astronomy
- Tabetha S. Boyajian, American stellar and exoplanetary astronomer
- Sophia Brahe, Danish noble woman
- Ingeborg Brun, Danish amateur astronomer
- Margaret Burbidge, British-American observational astronomer and astrophysicist
- Marta Burgay, Italian radio astronomer
- Mary E. Byrd, American educator and cometary observer
C
- Annie Jump Cannon, American astronomer who cataloged stellar spectra
- Robin M. Canup, American planetary scientist
- Nicole Capitaine, French astronomer specializing in astrometry
- C. Marcella Carollo, Italian astronomer studying galaxy formation and evolution
- Catherine Cesarsky, Argentinian–French astrophysicist
- Merieme Chadid, Moroccan-French astronomer
- Kyongae Chang, South Korean astrophysicist and instructor
- Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen, German noble and patron of astronomy
- Jun Chen, Chinese–American astronomer
- Lyudmila Chernykh, Russian astronomer
- Jessie Christiansen, Australian astrophysicist
- Agnes Mary Clerke, Irish astronomer and author
- Judith Gamora Cohen, American astronomer researching galactic astronomy
- Françoise Combes, French astrophysicist and educator
- Lynn Cominsky, American astrophysicist and educator
- Janine Connes, French astronomer
- France A. Córdova, American astrophysicist and administrator
- Heather Couper, English astronomer, broadcaster and science populariser
- Athena Coustenis, Greek planetary scientist
- Carolin Crawford, English astrophysicist and educator
- Lucy D’Escoffier Crespo da Silva, Brazilian astronomy student
- Maria Cunitz, Silesian astronomer and author
D
- Rosina Dafter, Australian astronomer
- Ruth Agnes Daly, American astrophysicist
- Laura Danly, American astronomer and educator
- Doris Daou, Lebanese-Canada astronomer and educator
- Tamara Davis, Australian astrophysicist studying cosmology and specialising in the dark energy
- Suzanne Débarbat, French astronomer and historian of science and technology
- Marie-Jeanne de Lalande, French astronomer and mathematician
- Audrey C. Delsanti, French astrobiologist
- , Kamilaroi astrophysicist
- Elsa van Dien, Dutch astronomer
- Harriet Dinerstein, American astronomer
- Ewine van Dishoeck, Dutch astrochemist
- Anlaug Amanda Djupvik, Norwegian stellar astronomer
- Megan Donahue, American astronomer and instructor
- Vibert Douglas, Canadian astrophysicist
- , Australian radio astronomer and science communicator
- Jeanne Dumée, French astronomer and author
- Jo Dunkley, British cosmologist
- Andrea Dupree, American astrophysicist
E
- Maria Clara Eimmart, German astronomer, engraver, and designer
- Sara Ellison, Canadian astronomer and instructor studying extragalactic astronomy
- Rebecca Elson, Canadian–American astronomer and writer
F
- Sandra Faber, American astrophysicist and instructor studying galactic evolution
- Annette Ferguson, Scottish observational astrophysicist
- Laura Ferrarese, Italian astronomer studying supermassive black holes
- Debra Fischer, American astronomer investigating exoplanets
- Gabrielle Renaudot Flammarion, French astronomer
- Williamina Fleming, Scottish astronomer
- Anna Frebel, German astronomer
- Wendy Freedman, Canadian-American observational cosmologist
- Katherine Freese, German theoretical astrophysicist
- Caroline Furness, American astronomer and teacher
G
- Catharine Garmany, American astronomer and educator
- Pamela L. Gay, American astronomer, educator, and writer
- Vera Fedorovna Gaze, Russian astronomer who studied emission nebula and minor planets
- Margaret Geller, American astrophysicist studying extragalactic astronomy
- Andrea M. Ghez, American astronomer, teacher, and Nobel prize winner
- Agnes Giberne, English novelist and scientific writer
- Nüzhet Gökdoğan, Turkish astronomer, mathematician and academic
- Merle Gold, American astrophysicist
- Andreja Gomboc, Slovenian astrophysicist
- Gabriela González, Argentine professor of physics and astronomy
- Alyssa A. Goodman, American astrophysicist
- Eva Grebel, German astronomer studying stellar populations and galaxy formation
- Lucie Green, English science communicator and solar researcher
- Jenny Greene, American astrophysicist and teacher studying supermassive black holes and galaxies
- Ruth Grützbauch, Austrian astronomer
H
- Margherita Hack, Italian astrophysicist and first female director of Trieste's Observatory
- Erika Hamden, American astrophysicist and instructor
- Heidi Hammel, American planetary scientist
- Fiona A. Harrison, American astrophysicist
- Marjorie Hall Harrison, English-born American astronomer
- Lisa Harvey-Smith, British-Australian astrophysicist
- Margaret Harwood, American astronomer
- Martha P. Haynes, American astronomer specialized in radio astronomy and extragalactic astronomy
- Martha Locke Hazen, American astronomer
- E. Ruth Hedeman, American solar astronomer
- Mary Lea Heger, American astronomer who studied the interstellar medium
- Charlene Heisler, Canadian astronomer
- Eleanor F. Helin, American astronomer who studied near–Earth asteroids
- Amina Helmi, Argentine astronomer
- Amanda Hendrix, American planetary scientist
- Caroline Herschel, German astronomer
- Elisabeth Hevelius, Polish astronomer
- Jacqueline Hewitt, American astrophysicist
- Catherine Heymans, British astrophysicist and instructor
- Renée Hložek, South African cosmologist
- Dorrit Hoffleit, American astronomer
- Helen Sawyer Hogg, American-Canadian astronomer
- Ann Hornschemeier, American astronomer studying X-ray astronomy
- Joan Horvath, American aeronautical engineer and writer
- Nancy Houk, American astronomer
- Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld, Dutch astronomer studying minor planets
- Margaret Lindsay Huggins, Irish-English scientific investigator and astronomer
- Carolyn Hurless, American astronomer and an American Association of Variable Star Observers merit award winner.
- , Australian radio astronomer who discovered long-period radio transients
- Hypatia, Hellenistic Neoplatonist philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician
I
- Violeta G. Ivanova, Bulgarian astronomer
- Al-ʻIjliyyah, Arab maker of astrolabes
J
- Odette Jasse, French astronomer at Marseille Observatory
- Louise Freeland Jenkins, American astronomer of stellar astronomy
- Carole Jordan, English physicist, astrophysicist, astronomer and academic
K
- Vicky Kalogera, Greek astrophysicist
- Devika Kamath, Australian astrophysicist
- Lyudmila Karachkina, Russian astronomer studying astrometry and minor planets
- Victoria Kaspi, American-Canadian astrophysicist and instructor
- Lisa Kewley, Australian astronomer studying galactic evolution
- Pamela M. Kilmartin, New Zealand astronomer searching for comets and minor planets
- Maria Margarethe Kirch, German astronomer and calendar maker
- Margaret G. Kivelson, American planetary scientist
- Dorothea Klumpke, American astronomer
- Gillian R. Knapp, American astronomer
- Kirsten Kraiberg Knudsen, Danish astronomer studying galaxies
- Heather A. Knutson, American astronomer studying exoplanets
- Gloria Koenigsberger, Mexican astrophysicist and instructor
- Bärbel Koribalski, German astrophysicist studying galaxy formation and evolution
- Lenka Kotková, Czech astronomer
- Chryssa Kouveliotou, Greek astrophysicist and instructor
- Reiki Kushida, Japanese amateur astronomer
L
- Elizabeth Lada, American astronomer and instructor
- Eleanor Annie Lamson, American astronomer
- Marguerite Laugier, French astronomer who discovered minor planets
- Gemma Lavender, British astronomer, author and journalist
- Henrietta Swan Leavitt, American astronomer who observed variable stars
- Nicole-Reine Lepaute, French astronomer and mathematician
- Isabel Martin Lewis, American astronomer and author
- Nikole Lewis, American astrophysicist
- Helen Lines, American amateur astronomer
- Sarah Lee Lippincott, American astronomer and instructor who focused on astrometry
- Jane Luu, Vietnamese–American astronomer and defense systems engineer
M
- Amy Mainzer, American astronomer specializing in astrophysical instrumentation and infrared astronomy
- Esmeralda Mallada, Uruguayan astronomer and instructor
- Rachel Mandelbaum, American astronomer
- Mileva Marić, Serbian physicist and mathematician studying astronomy among other topics
- Karen Masters, American astrophysicist studying galaxy formation and evolution
- Janet Akyüz Mattei, Turkish-American astronomer studying variable stars
- Annie Russell Maunder, Irish-British astronomer
- Antonia Maury, American astronomer studying stellar astronomy
- Claire Ellen Max, American astronomer and instructor
- Margaret Mayall, American astronomer studying variable stars
- Jess McIver, American astronomer
- Jaylee Burley Mead, American astronomer
- Karen Jean Meech, American planetary scientist
- Chiara Mingarelli, Italian-Canadian astrophysicist, researching gravitational waves
- Maria Mitchell, American astronomer, librarian, naturalist, and educator
- Linda A. Morabito, American planetary scientist
- Vanessa Moss, Australian radio astronomer, researching galaxy evolution
- Jean Mueller, American astronomer
- Carole Mundell, British observational astrophysicist, researching cosmic black holes and gamma ray bursts
- Tara Murphy, Australian astrophysicist
- Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil, Turkish astrophysicist
N
- Sultana N. Nahar, Bangladeshi-American physicist studying atomic processes in astrophysical and laboratory plasmas
- Joan Najita, American astronomer researching the formation and evolution of stars and planetary systems
- Yaël Nazé, Belgian astrophysicist studying massive stars and their environmental interaction
- Heidi Jo Newberg, American astrophysicist studying the Milky Way structure
- Karlie Noon, Gamilaroi astrophysicist
O
- Carolina Ödman-Govender,, Swiss astrophysicist and lecturer
- Sally Oey, American astronomer researching massive stars
- Kathleen Ollerenshaw,, English mathematician, politician, and amateur astronomer
- C. Michelle Olmstead, American astronomer and computer scientist who has discovered minor planets
- Liisi Oterma, Finnish astronomer
- Mazlan Othman, Malaysian astrophysicist
- Feryal Özel, Turkish astrophysicist studying stellar remnants
P
- M. Alessandra Papa, Italian physicist specializing in the observation of gravitational waves
- Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, British-born American astrophysicist and instructor
- Ruby Payne-Scott, Australian radio astronomer
- Louise du Pierry, French astronomer and instructor
- Carle Pieters, American planetary scientist
- Thushara Pillai,, Indian astrophysicist and astronomer
- Paris Pişmiş, Armenian-Mexican astronomer
- Elena V. Pitjeva, Russian astronomer studying solar system dynamics and celestial mechanics
- Carolyn Porco, American planetary scientist
- Helen Dodson Prince, American astronomer and instructor
- Mary Proctor, American popularizer of astronomy
Q
- Elisa Quintana, American planetary scientist
R
- Hilkka Rantaseppä-Helenius, Finnish astronomer who studied minor planets
- Luisa Rebull, American stellar astronomer
- Katharine Reeves, American solar astronomer
- Emily Rice, American astronomer researching sub-stellar objects including brown dwarfs
- Christina Richey, American planetary scientist and astrophysicist
- Marcia Rieke, American infrared astronomer and JWST NIRCam PI
- Julia Riley, English radio astronomer
- Constance M. Rockosi, American galactic astronomer
- Elizabeth Roemer, American astronomer who studied minor planets
- Nancy Roman, American stellar astronomer
- , Australian astrophysicist studying black holes
- Marta Graciela Rovira, Argentinian astrophysicist
- Vera Rubin, American astronomer researching extragalactic astronomy
- María Teresa Ruiz, Chilean astronomer
S
- Penny Sackett, American-born Australian astronomer, educator, and manager
- Rita M. Sambruna, American astrophysicist studying supermassive black holes and jets
- Anneila Sargent, Scottish–American astronomer specialized in star formation
- Ann Savage, British astronomer
- Caterina Scarpellini, Italian astronomer and meteorologist
- Susan M. Scott, Australian mathematical physicist working on general relativity, gravitational singularities, and black holes.
- Sara Seager, Canadian-American astronomer and planetary scientist
- Waltraut Seitter, German astronomer and instructor
- Muriel Mussells Seyfert, American astronomer
- Pelageya Shajn, Russian astronomer searching for minor planets
- Aomawa Shields, American astrophysicist and professor researching exoplanets
- Carolyn S. Shoemaker, American astronomer
- Amy Simon, American planetary scientist
- Charlotte Moore Sitterly, American astronomer who studied stellar physics
- Tamara Mikhaylovna Smirnova, Russian astronomer who searched for minor planets and comets
- Alicia M. Soderberg, American astrophysicist and instructor focused on supernovae
- Mary Somerville, Scottish scientist, writer, and polymath
- Linda Spilker, American planetary scientist
- Ingrid Stairs, Canadian astronomer
- Denise Stephens, American astronomer and instructor
- Sarah Stewart-Mukhopadhyay, American planetary scientist
- Annapurni Subramaniam, director of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics
- Karlina Leksono Supelli, Indonesian philosopher and astronomer
- Jean Swank, American astrophysicist studying compact objects
- Henrietta Hill Swope, American astronomer who studied variable stars
- Nadezhda Sytinskaya, Soviet astronomer and planetary scientist
- Paula Szkody, American astronomer and instructor specialized in cataclysmic variable stars
T
- Jill Tarter, American astronomer focused on SETI
- Florence Taylor Hildred, English astronomer and pastor
- Alenush Terian, Iranian-Armenian astronomer
- Michelle Thaller, American astronomer and educator
- Jana Tichá, Czech astronomer searching for minor planets
- Beatrice Tinsley, British-born New Zealand astronomer studying galactic evolution
- Maura Tombelli, Italian amateur astronomer
- Christy A. Tremonti, American astronomer
- Virginia Louise Trimble, American astronomer
- Lidiya Tseraskaya, Russian astronomer
- Margaret Turnbull, American astronomer and astrobiologist
- Elizabeth Cornwall Tilley, American astronomer
U
- Anne Barbara Underhill, Canadian astrophysicist who studied massive stars
- Meg Urry, American astrophysicist studying supermassive black holes and galaxies
V
- Bobbie Vaile, Australian astrophysicist and lecturer
- Zdeňka Vávrová, Czech astronomer
- Faith Vilas, American planetary scientist
- Julie Vinter Hansen, Danish astronomer
- Mirjana Vukićević-Karabin, Serbian astrophysicist
- Emma Vyssotsky, American astronomer who studied astrometry
W
- Lucianne Walkowicz, American astronomer
- Wang Zhenyi, Chinese astronomer, mathematician, and poet
- Kim Weaver, American astrophysicist and instructor focused on X-ray astronomy
- Sara Webb, Australian astrophysicist
- Alycia J. Weinberger, American astronomer studying planetary formation
- Mareta West, American astrogeologist
- Sarah Frances Whiting, American physicist, astronomer, and instructor
- Mary Watson Whitney, American astronomer and teacher
- Belinda Wilkes, English astrophysicist
- Beth Willman, American cosmologist
- Lee Anne Willson, American astronomer
- Anna Winlock, American astronomer
- Jennifer Wiseman, American astrophysicist
- Rosemary Wyse, Scottish astrophysicist and instructor
- Frances Woodworth Wright, American astronomer and educator
- Gillian Wright, Scottish astronomer
- Barbara A. Williams, American radio astronomer
Y
- Ye Shuhua, Chinese astronomer and instructor
- Anne Sewell Young, American astronomer who studied variable stars
- Judith Young, American physicist, astronomer, and educator
- Louise Gray Young, American astronomer and researcher
Z
- Magdalena Zeger, calendar maker, astronomer, first women to publish independently in the field of astronomy
- Lyudmila Zhuravleva, Russian-Ukrainian astronomer who discovered minor planets
- Maria Zuber, American planetary scientist