Born on this day in 1818, in Massachusetts, Mitchell became a self-educated astronomer. She became known for her discovery of a new comet, and she went on to study sunspots, moons, and “surface features” of Jupiter and Saturn.
(Obviously, I really mean that Mitchell studied the “features of the top layer of clouds of Jupiter and Saturn.”)
Mitchell was a professor at Vassar College and was the first woman to be a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
She said...
"We have a hunger of the mind which asks for knowledge of all around us, and the more we gain, the more is our desire..."
“We especially need imagination in science.”
“Question everything.”
Read about Mitchell.
Read the book Maria's Comet, by Deborah Hopkinson, or Rooftop Astronomer, by Stephanie McPherson.
Astronomy is fun!
- Make a comet using this recipe.
- Find puzzles and games on this website.
Revolution Day – The Gambia
The Gambia
The Central African Republic is a landlocked nation right in the center of Africa. Although it is one of the poorest nations in Africa and the world, The Ecologist magazine estimated that it is the world's leading country in sustainable development. The CAR has potential in eco-tourism, because there is a lot of wildlife and rain forest visitors will want to see, so hopefully it will keep up the work to be green. Planting trees is a good start!
ther tiny country (like the Gambia) that is landlocked (like the CAR). In fact, it is almost entirely surrounded by South Africa. On this day an important former king (pictured left) is honored. King Sobhuza II ruled 82 years and 9 months (although part of that rule was when he was very young, and his grandmother acted as regent). This is the longest precisely dated reign on record.
