Expert: Ed - 5/3/2009

Question
I read about a young woman astronomer who died young, but came up with the theory that light from stars that we see now originated thousands of years ago
I cannot remember her name but Tinkling
or something like that comes to mind.  Can you tell me her name?

Answer
Fran,
Are you thinking of Henrietta Swan Leavitt?
http://www.womanastronomer.com/hleavitt.htm

Her studies of Cepheid variable stars helped astronomy ENORMOUSLY, and helped to calculate how many years the light from many stars travelled to reach us.  Study the 4th paragraph in the main article in the link I just posted, the one which begins with "Another area of research that Leavitt pursued..."

Also, she did die at a fairly young age.  (Much too young for the good of the astronomy community.  She was incredibly gifted.  Who knows how far our understanding of the universe might have advanced, if she had lived for 20 or 30 more years?  Maybe we would have reached the level of understanding that we have today, about the universe, by the 1970s or 1980s.  By now, we could be incredibly advanced.... it is terrible that she died so young).

I don't know where you got the name Tinkling... maybe from her boss, Edward Charles PICKERING?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Charles_Pickering

I hope this is helpful.  Keep Looking Up!
-Ed