Description
Book SynopsisPhilosophers and poets in times past tried to figure out why the stainless moon smoothly polished, like a diamond in Dante''s words, had stains. The agreed solution was that, like a mirror, it reflected the imperfect Earth. Today we smile, but it was a clever way to understand the Moon in a manner that was consistent with the beliefs of their age. The Moon is no longer the in thing. We see it as often as the Sun and give it little thought we''ve become indifferent. However, the Moon does reflect more than just sunlight. The Moon, or more precisely the nomenclature of lunar craters, still holds up a mirror to an important aspect of human history. Of the 1586 craters that have been named honoring philosophers and scientists, only 28 honor a woman. These 28 women of the Moon present us with an opportunity to meditate on this gap, but perhaps more significantly, they offer us an opportunity to talk about their lives, mostly unknown today.
Trade Review...an apt quotation from an article in the New Yorker caught my eye: "There's a romance to ushering lost women back into the light....". Readers can be grateful to [the authors] for sharing that romance with us. * Naomi Pasachoff, Metascience *
The authors excel at communicating scientific concepts clearly. Their narrations of the women's lives seamlessly interweave lessons on stellar spectroscopy with biographical accounts of marriage, tragic illnesses, and impressive scientific accomplishments to lend a fresh and much fuller appreciation for the contributions made by "women of the Moon." * Emily K. Gibson, Science *
Revealing that 1558 craters on the moon have been named for men, but only 28 for women, this valuable survey offers an illuminating perspective on the latter... The cumulative result of these neat but telling histories is a memorable introduction to 28 strong, smart, and too often forgotten female pioneers of science and exploration. * Publishers Weekly *
The book's clear writing style is complemented by relevant, high-quality graphics and photos ... the quality of the printing, paper, and binding give The Women of the Moon the look and feel of a fine book ... Astronomy and science history enthusiasts should consider adding this informative and interesting read to their book shelf or buying it for a young woman interested in STEM. * Brian Webb, Space Archive *
The book gives the reader an in-depth introduction to the Moon, its formation and lunar nomenclature ... However, the book's strength is in the individual chapters reserved for the women immortalised on the Moon ... To sum up, this book acts as a really nice biographical collection of many historical female scientists. * Carolyn Kennet, Astronomy Now *
A readable and enjoyable title. * Brian Clegg, Popular Science blog *
[Altschuler and Ballesteros] write extremely well, explaining the science parts with enough simplicity and clarity for a non-scientist to grasp at least the relevance and importance of it, and recounting the life stories of these remarkable women with warmth and admiration ... An excellent book that I heartily recommend to all, but think would be especially great to give as a gift to a teenage girl who's interested in a career in science. * FictionFan *
Table of ContentsUnderstanding the Moon Lunar Nomenclature 1: Hypatia of Alexandria (355 or 370-415) 2: Catherine of Alexandria (~287-~305) 3: Nicole-Reine de la Briere Lepaute (1723-1788) 4: Caroline Lucretia Herschel (1750-1848) 5: Mary Fairfax Greig Somerville (1780-1872) 6: Anne Sheepshanks (1789-1876) 7: Catherine Wolfe Bruce (1816-1900) 8: Maria Mitchell (1818-1889) 9: Agnes Mary Clerke (1842-1907) 10: Sofia Vasílyevna Kovalévskaya (1850-1891) 11: Annie Scott Dill Russell Maunder (1868-1947) 12: Williamina Paton Fleming (1857-1911) 13: Annie Jump Cannon (1863-1941) 14: Antonia Maury (1866-1952) 15: Henrietta Leavitt (1868-1921) 16: Mary Adela Blagg (1858-1944) 17: Mary A. Proctor (1862-1957) 18: Marie Sk?odowska-Curie (1867-1934) 19: Lise Meitner (1878-1968) 20: Amalie Emmy Noether (1882-1935) 21: Louise Freeland Jenkins (1888-1970) 22: Priscilla Fairfield Bok (1896-1975) 23: Gerty Theresa Radnitz Cori (1896-1957) 24: Judith Arlene Resnik (1949-1986) 25: Sharon Christa McAuliffe (1948-1986) 26: Kalpana Chawla (1962-2003) 27: Laurel Blair Salton Clark (1961-2003) 28: Valentina Vladímirovna Nikolayeva Tereshkova (1937-)
