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 |
Martha 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]
Martha 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]
Martha 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]