Ms.+Maria+Mitchell

**__ Occupation __**** : **** Astronomer ** **__ Birth __****__ : August 1, 1818 __**      **__ Death : June 28, 1889 __**
 * __ Maria Mitchell __**


 * __ Place of birth: __Nantucket, Massachusetts**


 * __ Known for: __**
 * **Discovering a new comet**
 * __ Science explained __:**
 * **She was an American astronomer who discovered a new comet using a telescope.**
 * **She discovered the comet on Oct. 1 1847 at 10:30pm.**
 * **Her comet was named C/1847 T1. It became known as “Miss Mitchell’s Comet”.**


 * __ Career :__**
 * **Maria worked as a teaching assistant at her father school.**
 * **She opened her own school in 1835.**
 * **One year later she became the first librarian at the Nantucket Public library.**
 * **In 1849, she worked at the US Nautical Almanac Office studying the positions of Venus.**
 * **In 1865, she became professor of astronomy at Vassar College.**


 * __ Did you Know?: __**
 * **Maria Mitchell got a gold medal for her discovery.**
 * **She became world famous when she made her discovery.**
 * **She was related to Benjamin Franklin.**
 * **At 12½, she helped her dad calculate the exact moment of an annular eclipse.**
 * **She was inducted into the US Women’s Hall of Fame.**
 * **She was the first American woman to work as a professional Astronomer.**

And Maria Mitchell citation: Anderson Dale, Maria Mitchell. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2003. Print. Science Biographies citation: Education Grolier, //Science Biographies.// Danbury Connecticut: Grolier Education, 1997. Print.
 * __ Citations __**
 * Access Science citation: Access Science**
 * []**