Maria Mitchell

Hello. My name is Maria Mitchell. When I was a little girl, I loved looking at the stars. I lived on an island called Nantucket. The night sky was so big and sparkly. My dad, William, loved the stars, too. He taught me how to use a special tool called a telescope. A telescope helps you see things that are far, far away. We would look at the stars together.

One special night, on October 1st, 1847, I was on our roof. I was looking through my telescope, just like I always did. But this night was different. I saw something new. It was a little blurry spot in the sky. It looked fuzzy. It was a comet. No one had ever seen this comet before. I was so excited. People called it 'Miss Mitchell's Comet' because I was the first one to find it. It was my special friend in the sky.

Finding my comet was just the beginning. It helped me get a very important job. In the year 1865, I became a teacher at a school called Vassar College. I was called a professor. I loved teaching other people all about the stars and planets. I especially loved teaching other women. It made me so happy to share the beautiful things I saw in the night sky with everyone.

I lived to be 70 years old. I am so happy I could spend my life looking at the stars. It was wonderful to help other people learn to love the stars, too. My work showed everyone that women could be amazing scientists and discover new things. The stars are there for everyone to enjoy.