In 1881 the inaccuracies and disorganization of subordinates exasperated Professor Edward Charles Pickering. He turned the tedious job at the Harvard Observatory of searching through a quarter million photographic plates to a 23-year-old clerk and math calculator. It was repetitive and exacting work. This astronomy researcher found the Veil Nebula among the many plates, something nobody else before had the mental ability to pull off.
The researcher then noticed that the search method was not as efficient as it could be, and so invented a new method that is in use to this day. This new system classified stars a letter according to hydrogen content in their spectra.
Using this new research tool, the researcher then went on to discovered 10 novae, 310 variable stars, 58 other nebulae, classified 10,000 stars, discovered white dwarfs, in 1906 became a member of the Royal Astronomical Society of London, became the curator of the observatory collections, and editor of its publications. For the discovery of new stars, the Astronomical Society of Mexico awarded the Guadalupe Almendaro medal. In 1907, this researcher published a study of 222 variable stars discovered with the technique, and handpicked the dozens of mathematicians who would continue the work, calling them by the new term computers.
By any measure, this was a giant of astronomy. However, Professor Pickering took total credit for the discoveries; Pickering’s Wedge bears his name that he did not find. This was the 19th century, and Williamina Fleming was only Pickering’s female housekeeper who did not deserve his recognition.
