Frances Woodworth Wright Explained

Frances Woodworth Wright
Birth Date:April 30, 1897
Birth Place:Providence, Rhode Island
Death Date:July 30, 1989
Death Place:Cambridge, Massachusetts
Nationality:American
Occupation:astronomer, educator
Known For:Celestial navigation

Frances Woodworth Wright (April 30, 1897 – July 30, 1989) was an American astronomer based at Harvard University. During World War II, she taught celestial navigation to military officers and engineers.

Early life

Frances Woodworth Wright was born in Providence, Rhode Island, the daughter of George William Wright and Nellie Woodworth Wright.[1] As a child in 1907, Wright wrote a short essay titled "My Favorite Poem", for the popular national children's magazine St. Nicholas.[2] She earned a bachelor's degree at Brown University in 1920.[3] She was granted a Ph.D. in astronomy from Radcliffe College in 1958, as a student of Fred Whipple.[4] [5] [6]

Career

Wright taught astronomy and mathematics at Elmira College[7] before she was hired to be a computer at Harvard College Observatory. There she became a close friend of astronomer Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin.[8] The two women traveled across the United States by car together in 1930, to visit observatories in the American west, camping along the way.[9]

During World War II, Wright taught celestial navigation to military officers and engineers;[10] [11] for many years afterward, she taught navigation classes to Harvard students and local sailors.[12] "I just love the looks in some of their faces when they've learned something," she said in 1986. "You feel as if you've added to their horizons, just as it adds to mine. It inspires me to think this course gives them a sense of adventure."[13]

She wrote three books on navigation techniques, all published by Cornell Maritime Press: Celestial Navigation (1969, revised 1982),[14] Coastwise Navigation (1980),[15] and Particularized Navigation: How to Prevent Navigational Emergencies (1973).[16] She was also co-author of Basic Marine Navigation (1944, with Bart Bok)[17] and The Large Magellanic Cloud (1967, with Paul W. Hodge).[18] Her published research included several studies of meteoritic particles.[19] [20] [21] [22] [23]

Wright continued working at the observatory until 1971, and taught undergraduate courses in navigation for many years after that.

Personal life and legacy

She was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1961.[24] In 1976, the minor planet 2133 Franceswright was named in her honor, after its discovery at the Harvard College Observatory.[25]

Frances Woodworth Wright died from cancer in 1989 in Cambridge, aged 92 years.[26] [27] Her small telescope is in the collection of historical scientific instruments at Harvard University,[28] and Wright created and endowed the Frances W. Wright Navigation Fund, ensure the course's continued availability.

Notes and References

  1. Book: The Biographical Dictionary of Women in Science: Pioneering Lives From Ancient Times to the Mid-20th Century. Ogilvie. Marilyn. Harvey. Joy. Marilyn Bailey Ogilvie. Joy Harvey. 2003-12-16. Routledge. 9781135963422. en.
  2. Wright. Frances Woodworth. April 1907. My Favorite Poem. St. Nicholas. 563–564.
  3. Book: University, Brown. Catalogue. 1920. 202.
  4. Book: Sobel, Dava. The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars. 2016. Penguin. 9780670016952. 292.
  5. News: Find New 'Brand' of Meteor Shower. February 7, 1954. Lansing State Journal. May 31, 2019. 3. Newspapers.com.
  6. News: Frances Wright, 92, Harvard Astronomer. The New York Times . 2021-09-09. en.
  7. News: Ex-Elmira College Professor Dies at 92. July 31, 1969. Star-Gazette. May 31, 2019. 1. Newspapers.com.
  8. Web site: Cecilia and Sergei: American Astronomers. McGrath. Alex. February 9, 2018. Galactic Gazette, Wolbach Library. 2019-05-31.
  9. Book: Haramundanis, Katherine. Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin: An Autobiography and Other Recollections Second Edition. Cambridge University Press. 1996. 978-0521483902. 183.
  10. Wright. Frances W.. 1986-01-01. Bart J. Bok and Navigation during World War II. Astronomy Quarterly. 5. 19. 151–156. 10.1016/0364-9229(86)90003-5. 0364-9229. 1986AstQ....5..151W.
  11. Birtwell, Roger. "Woman Taught Soldiers How to Sail in War" The Boston Globe (January 6, 1967): 72. via Newspapers.com
  12. Web site: With Stars As Their Guides. Kim. Victoria. October 27, 2004. The Harvard Crimson. 2019-05-31.
  13. News: Astronomy Prof Funds Course. June 3, 1986. The Transcript. May 31, 2019. 2. Newspapers.com.
  14. Book: Wright, Frances Woodworth. Celestial Navigation. 1982. Cornell Maritime Press. 9780870332913. en.
  15. Book: Wright, Frances Woodworth. Coastwise Navigation. 1980-01-01. Cornell Maritime Press. 9780870332609. en.
  16. Book: Wright, Frances Woodworth. Particularized Navigation: How to Prevent Navigational Emergencies. 1973. Cornell Maritime Press. 9780870331886. en.
  17. Book: Basic Marine Navigation. Bok. Bart Jan. Wright. Frances W.. 1944. Houghton Mifflin. en.
  18. Book: The Large Magellanic Cloud. Hodge. Paul W.. Wright. Frances Woodworth. 1967. Smithsonian Press. 9780608177533. en.
  19. Wright. Frances W.. Hodge. Paul W.. Langway. Chester C.. 1963. Studies of particles for extraterrestrial origin: 1. Chemical analyses of 118 particles. Journal of Geophysical Research. en. 68. 19. 5575–5587. 10.1029/JZ068i019p05575. 2156-2202. 1963JGR....68.5575W.
  20. Hodge. Paul W.. Wright. Frances W.. November 1973. Particles Around Boxhole Meteorite Crater. Meteoritics. 8. 4. 315–320. 10.1111/j.1945-5100.1973.tb01182.x. 1973Metic...8..315H.
  21. Hodge. Paul W.. Wright. Frances W.. March 1970. Meteoritic Spherules in the Soil surrounding Terrestrial Impact Craters. Nature. 225. 5234. 717–718. 10.1038/225717a0. 16056712. 0028-0836. 1970Natur.225..717H. 4279430.
  22. Hodge. Paul W.. Wright. Frances W.. April 1969. A semiempirical estimate of the micrometeorite flux at the earth's surface and its implications. Icarus. 10. 2. 214–219. 10.1016/0019-1035(69)90023-2. 1969Icar...10..214H.
  23. News: Dust on Glaciers Believed from Space. August 26, 1964. Daily Independent Journal. May 31, 2019. 35. Newspapers.com.
  24. Web site: Historic fellows. American Association for the Advancement of Science. 2022-10-16.
  25. Book: Schmadel, Lutz D.. Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. 2013-11-11. Springer Science & Business Media. 9783662066157. 274.
  26. "Frances Woodworth Wright; Instructor in Celestial Navigation" Los Angeles Times (August 2, 1989): 16. via ProQuest
  27. News: Frances Wright, 92, Harvard Astronomer. August 1, 1989. The New York Times. A17. ProQuest.
  28. Web site: Frances W. Wright. The Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments, Harvard University. en. 2019-05-31.

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