Mary Anna Draper facts for kids
Mary Anna Draper (September 19, 1839 – December 8, 1914) was an important American woman known for her work in astronomical photography and research. She worked closely with her husband, Henry Draper. Mary Anna helped create the famous Mount Wilson Observatory and started a special award for space research called the Henry Draper Medal.
Her Early Life
Mary Anna Palmer was born in 1839 in Stonington, Connecticut. Her parents were Mary Ann Suydam and Courtlandt Palmer. Her father was a successful merchant and invested in real estate. When he passed away in 1874, Mary Anna and her three brothers received a large amount of money.
In 1867, she married Henry Draper. He was a doctor and a professor at what is now New York University. Henry was very interested in astronomical spectroscopy, which is the study of light from stars. He was also a talented amateur astronomer.
Exploring the Stars
Mary Anna became very interested in astronomy because of her husband. They worked together and took the first photographs of a star's light spectrum in 1872. They used a large telescope that Henry built at his observatory near their summer home in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.
In 1878, the couple traveled to Rawlins, Wyoming, to watch a solar eclipse. During the colder months, they worked in a laboratory connected to their home in New York City. For 15 years, the Drapers observed, photographed, and worked in their lab together. Mary Anna became a very skilled technician during this time.
Continuing the Research
After her husband Henry passed away in 1882, Mary Anna donated their special equipment to the Harvard College Observatory. She also created the Henry Draper Memorial. This fund helped pay for more research to continue the work they had started.
Even though she no longer did research herself, she visited the observatory often. She wanted to learn about the new discoveries being made. The money she gave helped Edward Charles Pickering at Harvard. He was able to classify stars based on features seen in photographs of their light.
Mary Anna's support also helped women astronomers work at the observatory. These included her niece Antonia Maury, who found new ways to classify stellar spectra (star light patterns). Another was Henrietta Swan Leavitt, whose work on Cepheid variable stars helped scientists measure distances in space.
Mary Anna Draper also started the Henry Draper Medal for amazing astronomical research. This award is given by the National Academy of Sciences. She also helped to establish the Mount Wilson Observatory. She often hosted science talks and displays at her home laboratory. She continued to support science until she passed away from pneumonia in 1914 in New York City.
Her Legacy
After Mary Anna's death, she left a gift to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This gift included her large collection of Egyptian artifacts, ancient Greek and Roman items, tapestries, miniature paintings, and other artworks. She also left money to continue supporting research at the Harvard Observatory.
