stand in 1818 ( the same year Venus eclipse Jupiter ) , Maria Mitchell was not only America ’s first female stargazer , she was also the first person in the country ’s account to discover a comet – a feat she accomplished at the age of 29 , with small more than a two - column inch scope .
“ We have a hungriness of the mind which asks for knowledge of all around us ; and the more we gain , the more is our desire , ” Mitchell once enjoin of humanity ’s insatiable appetence for understanding . “ The more we see , the more we are capable of seeing . ”
Mitchell practiced what she preached . An accomplished stargazer , bibliothec and naturalist , she is also remembered as a talented educator . Her influence as an brainchild to unseasoned idea is felt to this day in the form of theMaria Mitchell Association , which strives to stock on “ her legacy of cerebral rarity , respect for and love of nature , learning by doing , and the ideal of individualism . ”
Read more about Mitchell and her legacy at theNational Women ’s History Museum .
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