Emma Vyssotsky facts for kids

Emma Vyssotsky (born Emma T. R. Williams; October 23, 1894 – May 12, 1975) was an American astronomer. She won the Annie J. Cannon Award in Astronomy in 1946 for her important work.

Emma Vyssotsky's Life Story

Emma Vyssotsky earned her first degree in mathematics from Swarthmore College in 1916. After that, she taught astronomy and math for a year at Smith College. She then worked for an insurance company as an actuary, which is someone who uses math to figure out risks.

In 1927, Emma decided to study astronomy further. She went to Radcliffe College (which is now part of Harvard University). There, she worked with another famous astronomer, Cecilia Payne. They studied how light from stars showed different elements like hydrogen.

Emma received her PhD in astronomy from Harvard University in 1930. Her special project was about studying a type of star called A stars using a spectrophotometer. This tool helps measure how bright stars are at different colors. She was only the third person to get a PhD in astronomy from Harvard.

She later moved to the University of Virginia with her husband, Alexander N. Vyssotsky, who was also an astronomer. She became an instructor there. Emma spent her career at the McCormick Observatory at the university. She focused on how stars move and how the Milky Way galaxy is structured.

Emma and her husband often worked together. They studied how far away stars were by looking at their positions from different angles. They used a special tool called an objective prism on the observatory's telescope. Their research helped them figure out how stars move and understand the shape of galaxies.

After working at the observatory for more than ten years, she became a professor in 1945. However, she had to take time off due to a serious illness called Malta Fever. Even with her illness, she kept publishing her scientific findings.

Family Life

Emma Williams married the Russian-born astronomer Alexander N. Vyssotsky in 1929. They worked together at the McCormick Observatory in Charlottesville, Virginia. They had one son, Victor A. Vyssotsky. Victor became a mathematician and a computer scientist. He was involved in a big computer project called Multics. He also helped create an early computer game called Darwin.

Emma Vyssotsky passed away in Winter Park, Florida, in 1975. This was two years after her husband died.

Recognized for Her Work

In 1946, Emma Vyssotsky received a special honor called the Annie J. Cannon Award in Astronomy. The American Astronomical Society gave her this award. It recognized her important work in studying the light from stars, known as stellar spectra.

See also

In Spanish: Emma Vyssotsky para niños