Dorothea Klumpke
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Dorothea Klumpke Roberts (August 9, 1861 in
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
– October 5, 1942 in San Francisco) was an American
astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, g ...
. She was Director of the Bureau of Measurements at the Paris Observatory and was made a
Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...
.


Biography

Her father, John Gerard Klumpke (1825–1917), was a German immigrant who had come to California in 1850 with the
Gold Rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New Z ...
and had later become a successful realtor in San Francisco. He married Dorothea Mathilda Tolle in 1855 and they produced a family of five daughters and two sons. In 1877 she moved to
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
while her four sisters were placed in schools in
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. The sisters all went on to distinguished careers:
Anna Elizabeth Klumpke Anna Elizabeth Klumpke (October 28, 1856 – February 9, 1942) was an American portrait and Genre works, genre painter born in San Francisco, California, United States. She is perhaps best known for her portraits of famous women including Elizab ...
, painter and companion to the great French animal painter
Rosa Bonheur Rosa Bonheur (born Marie-Rosalie Bonheur; 16 March 1822 – 25 May 1899) was a French artist known best as a painter of animals ( animalière). She also made sculpture in a realist style. Her paintings include '' Ploughing in the Nivernais'', fi ...
;
Julia Klumpke Julia Klumpke, often spelled Julia Klumpkey (August 13, 1870 — August 23, 1961), was an American concert violinist and composer. Family and education Julia Klumpke, known as Lulu, was born in San Francisco, California, the daughter of wealthy r ...
, a violinist and composer; Mathilda, an accomplished pianist and pupil of Marmontel; and the
neurologist Neurology (from el, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the brain, the spinal c ...
Augusta, who, with her physician husband,
Joseph Jules Dejerine Joseph Jules Dejerine (3 August 1849 – 26 February 1917), was a French neurologist. Biography Joseph Jules Dejerine was born to French parents in Geneva, Switzerland, where his father was a carriage proprietor. During the Franco-Prussian War ...
, established a clinic and wrote numerous papers. Dorothea studied at the
University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...
and started out also studying music, but later turned to astronomy. She received her
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in 1886. She also earned her PhD from University of Paris, which she completed in 1893, and her dissertation was about the rings of Saturn. In 1887 she took up a post at the
Paris Observatory The Paris Observatory (french: Observatoire de Paris ), a research institution of the Paris Sciences et Lettres University, is the foremost astronomical observatory of France, and one of the largest astronomical centers in the world. Its histor ...
. Here she worked with
Guillaume Bigourdan Camille Guillaume Bigourdan (; 6 April 1851 – 28 February 1932) was a French astronomer. Personal life Bigourdan was born at Sistels, Tarn-et-Garonne to Pierre Bigourdan and Jeanne Carrière. When his teachers and local curate recognised ...
and
Lipót Schulhof Lipót Schulhof (12 March 1847 in Baja – October 1921 in Paris; hu, Schulhof Lipót; german: Leopold Schulhof or Schulhoff; french: Léopold Schulhof) was a Hungarian-JewishAron Moskovits, ''Jewish education in Hungary (1848-1948)'', p. 94 ...
, and later with the pioneer astrophotographers Paul and Prosper Henry, who were working with a 34 cm refractor and photographing the
minor planets According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), a minor planet is an astronomical object in direct orbit around the Sun that is exclusively classified as neither a planet nor a comet. Before 2006, the IAU officially used the term ''minor ...
(asteroids). Her work consisted of measuring star positions, processing astrophotographs, studying stellar spectra and meteorites.


Work

In 1886 Sir David Gill proposed an atlas of the heavens. The idea received enthusiastic support, especially from the Director of the Paris Observatory, Admiral
Amédée Mouchez Ernest Amédée Barthélemy Mouchez (24 August 1821 – 29 June 1892) was a French naval officer who became director of the Paris Observatory and launched the ill-fated ''Carte du Ciel'' project in 1887. Life Born in Madrid, Spain, Mouchez emba ...
, who suggested an international meeting in Paris. This led to the
Carte du Ciel The Carte du Ciel (literally, 'Map of the Sky') and the Astrographic Catalogue (or Astrographic Chart) were two distinct but connected components of a massive international astronomical project, initiated in the late 19th century, to catalogue an ...
project which required photographing the entire sky and showing stars as faint as the 14th magnitude. The Paris Observatory was to do a major portion of the sky as its contribution. It was also envisioned that a catalogue of all the stars to the 11th magnitude be drawn up. Despite being a woman, and in the face of fierce competition from 50 men, she secured the post of Director of the Bureau of Measurements (Bureau des Mesures) at the
Paris Observatory The Paris Observatory (french: Observatoire de Paris ), a research institution of the Paris Sciences et Lettres University, is the foremost astronomical observatory of France, and one of the largest astronomical centers in the world. Its histor ...
. Dorothea held this position for a decade and supervised several other women scientists during this time. In 1896 she sailed to Norway on the Norwegian vessel ''Norse King'', to observe the
solar eclipse of August 9, 1896 A total solar eclipse occurred on August 9, 1896. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's ...
. The eclipse was not a success because of obscuring clouds, but romance was about to enter her life. She met up with Dr.
Isaac Roberts Isaac Roberts FRS (27 January 1829 – 17 July 1904) was a Welsh people, Welsh engineer and businessman best known for his work as an amateur astronomer, pioneering the field of astrophotography of nebulae. He was a member of the Liverpool As ...
, a 67-year-old Welsh widower and entrepreneur turned astronomer, who had become a pioneer in astrophotography. He had attended the Paris Carte du Ciel Congress. Roberts had equipped his private observatory with a 50 cm reflector and camera, and a 13 cm Cooke refractor. In 1899, astronomers had predicted a great meteor shower now known as the
Leonids The Leonids ( ) are a prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Tempel–Tuttle, which are also known for their spectacular meteor storms that occur about every 33 years. The Leonids get their name from the location of their radiant i ...
. The French chose a female astronomer - Dorothea Klumpke - to be the one to ride in a balloon to observe the shower - the shower turned out a complete failure. Five years after meeting, Dorothea and Isaac were married in 1901 and stayed at his Sussex home. Dorothea left her job at the Paris Observatory in order to be with Isaac, whom she assisted in a project to photograph all 52 of the Herschel "areas of nebulosity." Their marriage ended after only a short while with Isaac's death in 1904. Dorothea inherited all his astronomical effects and a considerable fortune. Dorothea remained at the Sussex home and completed photography of the 52 areas, after which she went to stay with her mother and sister, Anna, at Chateau Rosa Bonheur, taking along the entire set of photographic plates. She returned to Paris Observatory and spent 25 years processing the plates and Isaac's notes, periodically publishing papers on the results. In 1929 she published a comprehensive catalogue of the survey "The Isaac Roberts Atlas of 52 Regions, a Guide to William Herschel's Fields of Nebulosity". She was awarded the Hèléne- Paul Helbronner prize in 1932 from the
French Academy of Sciences The French Academy of Sciences (French: ''Académie des sciences'') is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV of France, Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French Scientific me ...
for this publication. Through a donation of Dorothea in honor of her late husband, the
Société astronomique de France The Société astronomique de France (SAF; ), the French astronomical society, is a non-profit association in the public interest organized under French law (Association loi de 1901). Founded by astronomer Camille Flammarion in 1887, its purpose ...
(the French Astronomical Society) established the Prix Dorothea Klumpke-Isaac Roberts for the encouragement of the study of the wide and diffuse nebulae of
William Herschel Frederick William Herschel (; german: Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel; 15 November 1738 – 25 August 1822) was a German-born British astronomer and composer. He frequently collaborated with his younger sister and fellow astronomer Caroline H ...
, the obscure objects of
Barnard Barnard is a version of the surname Bernard, which is a French and West Germanic masculine given name and surname. The surname means as tough as a bear, Bar(Bear)+nard/hard(hardy/tough) __NOTOC__ People Some of the people bearing the surname Ba ...
, or the cosmic clouds of R.P. Hagen. This biennial prize was first given in 1931 and continues today. Dorothea Klumpke died on October 5, 1942, having been in poor health for a number of years.


About signals from Mars

"''The body of Mars is not very luminous, and the eye has to be trained. Imagination must not be permitted to carry eye away. The astronomers at Arizona Observatory are very advanced, and imagination may have played a part, though Mars should be the first planet with which we shall be able to communicate. Mars will be the first to give us a true knowledge of life beyond the earth, as it was the first to lead Keppler to the truth about the solar system. The projections are astronomical phenomena, not signals from the inhabitants. Mars is doubtless inhabited by a superior race, and I see probability in Kant's theory that we may be transmitted to another planet for another life''."


Honors

She was the first recipient of the "Prix de Dames" from the
Société astronomique de France The Société astronomique de France (SAF; ), the French astronomical society, is a non-profit association in the public interest organized under French law (Association loi de 1901). Founded by astronomer Camille Flammarion in 1887, its purpose ...
in 1897, and in 1893 was made an Officier d'Académe of the
French Academy of Sciences The French Academy of Sciences (French: ''Académie des sciences'') is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV of France, Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French Scientific me ...
- up to that time, these honours had not been awarded to a woman. On December 14, 1893 she read her doctoral thesis, "L'étude des Anneaux de Saturne" to a large audience of academics at the
Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...
, and was awarded the degree of Docteur ès Sciences; the first woman to do so. Her main subjects were mathematics and mathematical astronomy. The examining committee, composed of Dr.
Jean Gaston Darboux Jean-Gaston Darboux FAS MIF FRS FRSE (14 August 1842 – 23 February 1917) was a French mathematician. Life According this birth certificate he was born in Nîmes in France on 14 August 1842, at 1 am. However, probably due to the midnigh ...
and Drs.
Félix Tisserand François Félix Tisserand (13 January 1845 – 20 October 1896) was a French astronomer. Life Tisserand was born at Nuits-Saint-Georges, Côte-d'Or. In 1863 he entered the École Normale Supérieure, and on leaving he went for a month as profes ...
and
Marie Henri Andoyer Marie Henri Andoyer (October 1, 1862 in Paris – June 12, 1929) was a French astronomer and mathematician. Biography Andoyer was elected member of the French Académie des sciences on June 30, 1919 in the astronomy section. He was member of the ...
were unanimous in their praise. By way of contrast,
Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
awarded its first doctorate in astronomy to
Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (born Cecilia Helena Payne; – ) was a British-born American astronomer and astrophysicist who proposed in her 1925 doctoral thesis that stars were composed primarily of hydrogen and helium. Her groundbreaking conclus ...
in 1925. On February 22, 1934, she was elected a Chevalière de la Légion d'Honneur with the French President himself presenting the Cross. Shortly after the award, she and Anna moved to
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
where she spent the rest of her days. She made endowments to the Paris Observatory, the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, and the University of California to be granted to aspiring astronomers. Asteroids 339 Dorothea and 1040 Klumpkea were named in her honor, as is the
Klumpke-Roberts Award The Klumpke-Roberts Award, one of seven international and national awards for service to astronomy and astronomy education given by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, was established from a bequest by astronomer Dorothea Klumpke-Roberts to ...
of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.


See also

*
Timeline of women in science This is a timeline of women in science, spanning from ancient history up to the 21st century. While the timeline primarily focuses on women involved with natural sciences such as astronomy, biology, chemistry and physics, it also includes women f ...


References


External links

* * J. H. Reynolds
''Obituary Notice: Dorothea Klumpke Roberts.''
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 104 (1944), p. 92. * R. G. Aitken
''Dorothea Klumpke Roberts – An Appreciation.''
Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Vol. 54 (1942), No. 321, p. 217. {{DEFAULTSORT:Klumpke, Dorothea 20th-century French astronomers 1861 births 1942 deaths American women astronomers Scientists from California Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Fellows of the Royal Astronomical Society Use mdy dates from August 2011 University of Paris alumni People from San Francisco American people of German descent American expatriates in France 19th-century French astronomers 19th-century American women scientists