Martha Locke Hazen (15 July 1931- 23 December 2006) was an American astronomer, best known for her contributions as curator of the Harvard astronomical photographs collection and her work on variable stars.[1]
Martha Locke Hazen | |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 July 1931 |
| Died | 23 December 2006 (age 75) |
| Alma mater | Mount Holyoke College, University of Michigan |
| Spouse(s) | William Liller, Bruce McHenry |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy |
| Institutions | Harvard University |
| Thesis | The Distribution of Intensity of Elliptical Galaxies of the Virgo Cluster |
| Doctoral advisor | Cornelis van Schooneveld |
Early life and education
editMartha Locke Hazen was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts and grew up in Belmont.[1][2] In 1953, she graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a degree in astronomy.[1][2] She went on to complete her Ph.D. at the University of Michigan in 1958.[1] Her thesis foscused on how the intensities of elliptical galaxies within the Virgo cluster were distributed.[3]
Research and career
editMartha was a research fellow at Harvard College Observatory, observing in Chile for 3 weeks every year.[1][2] In 1969, she became the curator of astronomical photographs at Harvard where she was responsible for the Harvard Plate Archives and she assumed this role until her retirement in 2002.[1][4][2] She was also had a leadership role in improving the status of women in university life at Harvard, serving as the Harvard College Observatory representative on Harvard's committee dedicated to this.[1] As part of her role she helped organise the first Space for Women conference in 1975.[1] Additionally, she helped remove gender bias from the bylaws of American Astronomical Society.[2]
Martha joined the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) in 1975 and was elected as a member of the AAVSO council in 1984.[1][2] She acted as a vice president before becoming president of the association in 1992.[1][2] She went on to take the role of secretary in 1993 and remained in the role for 10 years.[1][4]
The Minor Planet Center at Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory named an asteroid (asteroid number: 10,024), Marthahazen, in recognition of Martha's contributions to astronomy.[1][2]
Personal life
editMartha married William Liller in 1959 and they had two children together, John Liller and Hillary Ward.[1][2] Martha and William divorced in 1982 and she married her second husband Bruce McHenry in 1991.[1][2]
Awards
editNotable publications
edit- Martha L Hazen; James M Nemen. (July 1992). " Variable Stars Within 25 Arcmin of the LMC Globular Cluster NGC 2210". Astronomical Journal. 104: 111. doi: 10.1086/116224
- M L Hazen-Liller. (September 1985). "The variable stars in the field of the globular cluster NGC 6569". Astronomical Journal. 90: 1807–1811.doi:10.1086/113881
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Williams, Thomas R.; Willson, Lee Anne (2007). "Obituary: Martha Locke Hazen, 1931-2006". Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society. 39 (4): 1064–1065. Bibcode:2007BAAS...39.1064W.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d e f g h i j "In Memoriam: Martha L. Hazen | aavso". www.aavso.org. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
- ^ University of Michigan, Board of Regents (1957). Proceedings of the Board of Regents. p. 357.
- ^ a b c "Martha Hazen Obituary from Center for Astrophysics | aavso". www.aavso.org. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
- ^ "The Merit Award | aavso". www.aavso.org. Retrieved 2022-03-06.