The following is a list of astronomers, astrophysicists and other notable women who have made contributions to the field of astronomy.
A Madge Adam (1912–2001), English solar astronomer Maggie Aderin-Pocock (born 1968), English space scientist Conny Aerts (born 1966), Belgian astrophysicist specializing in asteroseismology Aglaonike (c. 1st or 2nd Century BCE), ancient Greek astronomer and thaumaturge María Luisa Aguilar Hurtado (1938–2015), Peruvian astronomer Eva Ahnert-Rohlfs (1912–1954), German variable star astronomer Elizabeth Alexander (1908–1958), English geologist and physicist Leah B. Allen (1884–1973), American astronomer and educator Adelaide Ames (1900–1932), American astronomer Anja Cetti Andersen (born 1965), Danish astronomer focused on cosmic dust Necia H. Apfel (born 1930), American astronomer and educator Alice Archenhold (1874–1943), German astronomer Anne Archibald, Canadian astronomer and educator Felicitas Arias, (born 1952), Argentine astronomer and expert on geodesy Gabriella Conti Armellini (1891-1974), Italian astronomer
B
Neta Bahcall (born 1942), Israeli astrophysicist and cosmologist specializing in dark matter Odette Bancilhon (1908–1998), French astronomer Kirsten Banks Wiradjuri astronomer researching red giant stars Beatriz Barbuy (born 1950), Brazilian astrophysicist Amy Barger (born 1971), American galactic astronomer Nadine G. Barlow (1958–2020), American planetary scientist Amy Barr, American planetary geophysicist Maria A. Barucci, Italian astronomer Sarbani Basu, Indian-American astronomer working in solar and stellar astrophysics Natalie Batalha (born 1966), American astronomer Stefi Baum (born 1958), American astronomer and educator Bohumila Bednářová (1904–1985), Czech astronomer Reta Beebe (born 1936), American planetary scientist Sabine Bellstedt, Australian astronomer studying galaxy evolution Emilia Pisani Belserene (1922–2012), American astronomer Misty C. Bentz (born 1980), American astronomer Beverly Berger, American physicist working on gravitational physics, especially gravitational waves, gravitons, and gravitational singularities Alessandra Buonanno (born 1968), Italian-American theoretical physicist working in the field of gravitational wave astronomy and general relativity Jocelyn Bell Burnell (born 1943), Irish radio astronomer Mary Adela Blagg (1858–1944), English selenologist Erika Böhm-Vitense (1923–2017), German-born American stellar astronomer Priscilla Fairfield Bok (1896–1975), American astronomer of galactic astronomy Tabetha S. Boyajian (born c. 1980), American stellar and exoplanetary astronomer Sophia Brahe (c. 1559 to 1643), Danish noble woman Ingeborg Brun (1872–1929), Danish amateur astronomer Margaret Burbidge (1919–2020), British-American observational astronomer and astrophysicist Marta Burgay (born 1976), Italian radio astronomer Mary E. Byrd (1849–1934), American educator and cometary observer
C
Annie Jump Cannon (1863−1941), American astronomer who cataloged stellar spectra Robin M. Canup (born 1968), American planetary scientist Nicole Capitaine (born 1948), French astronomer specializing in astrometry C. Marcella Carollo, Italian astronomer studying galaxy formation and evolution Catherine Cesarsky (born 1943), Argentinian–French astrophysicist Merieme Chadid (born 1969), Moroccan-French astronomer Kyongae Chang (born 1946), South Korean astrophysicist and instructor Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen (1751–1827), German noble and patron of astronomy Jun Chen, Chinese–American astronomer Lyudmila Chernykh (1935–2017), Russian astronomer Jessie Christiansen, Australian astrophysicist Agnes Mary Clerke (1842–1907), Irish astronomer and author Judith Gamora Cohen (born 1946), American astronomer researching galactic astronomy Françoise Combes (born 1952), French astrophysicist and educator Lynn Cominsky (born 1953), American astrophysicist and educator Janine Connes (1926–2024), French astronomer France A. Córdova (born 1947), American astrophysicist and administrator Heather Couper (1949–2020), English astronomer, broadcaster and science populariser Athena Coustenis, Greek planetary scientist Carolin Crawford, English astrophysicist and educator Lucy D’Escoffier Crespo da Silva (1978–2000), Brazilian astronomy student Maria Cunitz (1610–1664), Silesian astronomer and author
D Rosina Dafter (1875–1959), Australian astronomer Ruth Agnes Daly (born 1958), American astrophysicist Laura Danly (born 1958), American astronomer and educator Doris Daou (born 1964), Lebanese-Canada astronomer and educator Tamara Davis, Australian astrophysicist studying cosmology and specialising in the dark energy Suzanne Débarbat (1928–2024), French astronomer and historian of science and technology Marie-Jeanne de Lalande (1768–1832), French astronomer and mathematician Audrey C. Delsanti (born 1976), French astrobiologist Krystal De Napoli, Kamilaroi astrophysicist Elsa van Dien (1914–2007), Dutch astronomer Harriet Dinerstein, American astronomer Ewine van Dishoeck (born 1955), Dutch astrochemist Anlaug Amanda Djupvik, Norwegian stellar astronomer Megan Donahue, American astronomer and instructor Vibert Douglas (1894–1988), Canadian astrophysicist Laura Driessen, Australian radio astronomer and science communicator Jeanne Dumée (1660–1706), French astronomer and author Jo Dunkley (1979/1980), British cosmologist Andrea Dupree, American astrophysicist
E Maria Clara Eimmart (1676–1707), German astronomer, engraver, and designer Sara Ellison, Canadian astronomer and instructor studying extragalactic astronomy Rebecca Elson (1960–1999), Canadian–American astronomer and writer
F
Sandra Faber (born 1944), American astrophysicist and instructor studying galactic evolution Annette Ferguson, Scottish observational astrophysicist Laura Ferrarese, Italian astronomer studying supermassive black holes Debra Fischer, American astronomer investigating exoplanets Gabrielle Renaudot Flammarion (1877–1962), French astronomer Williamina Fleming (1857–1911), Scottish astronomer Anna Frebel (born 1980), German astronomer Wendy Freedman (born 1957), Canadian-American observational cosmologist Katherine Freese (born 1957), German theoretical astrophysicist Caroline Furness (1869–1936), American astronomer and teacher
G Catharine Garmany (born 1946), American astronomer and educator Pamela L. Gay (born 1973), American astronomer, educator, and writer Vera Fedorovna Gaze (1899–1954), Russian astronomer who studied emission nebula and minor planets Margaret Geller (born 1947), American astrophysicist studying extragalactic astronomy Andrea M. Ghez (born 1965), American astronomer, teacher, and Nobel prize winner Agnes Giberne (1845–1939), English novelist and scientific writer Nüzhet Gökdoğan (1910–2003), Turkish astronomer, mathematician and academic Merle Gold (1921–2017), American astrophysicist Andreja Gomboc (born 1969), Slovenian astrophysicist Gabriela González (born 1965), Argentine professor of physics and astronomy Alyssa A. Goodman (born 1962), American astrophysicist Eva Grebel, German astronomer studying stellar populations and galaxy formation Lucie Green (born c. 1975), English science communicator and solar researcher Jenny Greene (born 1978), American astrophysicist and teacher studying supermassive black holes and galaxies Ruth Grützbauch (born 1978), Austrian astronomer
H
Margherita Hack (1922–2013), Italian astrophysicist and first female director of Trieste's Observatory Erika Hamden, American astrophysicist and instructor Heidi Hammel (born 1960), American planetary scientist Fiona A. Harrison, American astrophysicist Marjorie Hall Harrison (1918–1986), English-born American astronomer Lisa Harvey-Smith (born 1979), British-Australian astrophysicist Margaret Harwood (1885–1979), American astronomer Martha P. Haynes (born 1951), American astronomer specialized in radio astronomy and extragalactic astronomy Martha Locke Hazen (1931–2006), American astronomer E. Ruth Hedeman (1910–2006), American solar astronomer Mary Lea Heger (1897–1983), American astronomer who studied the interstellar medium Charlene Heisler (1961–1999), Canadian astronomer Eleanor F. Helin (1932–2009), American astronomer who studied near–Earth asteroids Amina Helmi (born 1970), Argentine astronomer Amanda Hendrix (born 1968), American planetary scientist Caroline Herschel (1750–1848), German astronomer Elisabeth Hevelius (1647–1693), Polish astronomer Jacqueline Hewitt (born 1958), American astrophysicist Catherine Heymans (born 1978), British astrophysicist and instructor Renée Hložek (born 1983), South African cosmologist Dorrit Hoffleit (1907–2007), American astronomer Helen Sawyer Hogg (1905–1993), American-Canadian astronomer Ann Hornschemeier, American astronomer studying X-ray astronomy Joan Horvath, American aeronautical engineer and writer Nancy Houk, American astronomer Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld (1921–2015), Dutch astronomer studying minor planets Margaret Lindsay Huggins (1848–1915), Irish-English scientific investigator and astronomer Carolyn Hurless (1934–1987), American astronomer and an American Association of Variable Star Observers merit award winner. Natasha Hurley-Walker, Australian radio astronomer who discovered long-period radio transients Hypatia (c. 350–370 to 415), Hellenistic Neoplatonist philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician
I Violeta G. Ivanova, Bulgarian astronomer Al-ʻIjliyyah (c. 10th-century), Arab maker of astrolabes
J Odette Jasse (1899–1949), French astronomer at Marseille Observatory Louise Freeland Jenkins (1888–1970), American astronomer of stellar astronomy Carole Jordan (born 1941), English physicist, astrophysicist, astronomer and academic
K
Vicky Kalogera, Greek astrophysicist Devika Kamath, Australian astrophysicist Lyudmila Karachkina (born 1948), Russian astronomer studying astrometry and minor planets Victoria Kaspi (born 1967), American-Canadian astrophysicist and instructor Lisa Kewley (born 1974), Australian astronomer studying galactic evolution Pamela M. Kilmartin, New Zealand astronomer searching for comets and minor planets Maria Margarethe Kirch (1670–1720), German astronomer and calendar maker Margaret G. Kivelson (born 1928), American planetary scientist Dorothea Klumpke (1861–1942), American astronomer Gillian R. Knapp, American astronomer Kirsten Kraiberg Knudsen, Danish astronomer studying galaxies Heather A. Knutson, American astronomer studying exoplanets Gloria Koenigsberger, Mexican astrophysicist and instructor Bärbel Koribalski, German astrophysicist studying galaxy formation and evolution Lenka Kotková (born 1973), Czech astronomer Chryssa Kouveliotou (born 1953), Greek astrophysicist and instructor Reiki Kushida, Japanese amateur astronomer
L
Elizabeth Lada, American astronomer and instructor Eleanor Annie Lamson (1875–1932), American astronomer Marguerite Laugier (1896–1976), French astronomer who discovered minor planets Gemma Lavender (born 1986), British astronomer, author and journalist Henrietta Swan Leavitt (1868–1921), American astronomer who observed variable stars Nicole-Reine Lepaute (1723–1788), French astronomer and mathematician Isabel Martin Lewis (1881–1966), American astronomer and author Nikole Lewis, American astrophysicist Helen Lines (1918–2001), American amateur astronomer Sarah Lee Lippincott (1920–2019), American astronomer and instructor who focused on astrometry Jane Luu (born 1963), Vietnamese–American astronomer and defense systems engineer
M Amy Mainzer (born 1974), American astronomer specializing in astrophysical instrumentation and infrared astronomy Esmeralda Mallada (1937–2023), Uruguayan astronomer and instructor Rachel Mandelbaum, American astronomer Mileva Marić (1875–1948), Serbian physicist and mathematician studying astronomy among other topics Karen Masters (born 1979), American astrophysicist studying galaxy formation and evolution Janet Akyüz Mattei (1943–2004), Turkish-American astronomer studying variable stars Annie Russell Maunder (1868–1947), Irish-British astronomer Antonia Maury (1866–1952), American astronomer studying stellar astronomy Claire Ellen Max (born 1946), American astronomer and instructor Margaret Mayall (1902–1995), American astronomer studying variable stars Jess McIver, American astronomer Jaylee Burley Mead (1929–2012), American astronomer Karen Jean Meech (born 1959), American planetary scientist Chiara Mingarelli, Italian-Canadian astrophysicist, researching gravitational waves Maria Mitchell (1818–1889), American astronomer, librarian, naturalist, and educator Linda A. Morabito (born 1953), American planetary scientist Vanessa Moss, Australian radio astronomer, researching galaxy evolution Jean Mueller (born 1950), American astronomer Carole Mundell, British observational astrophysicist, researching cosmic black holes and gamma ray bursts Tara Murphy, Australian astrophysicist Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil, Turkish astrophysicist
N Sultana N. Nahar, Bangladeshi-American physicist studying atomic processes in astrophysical and laboratory plasmas Joan Najita, American astronomer researching the formation and evolution of stars and planetary systems Yaël Nazé, Belgian astrophysicist studying massive stars and their environmental interaction Heidi Jo Newberg, American astrophysicist studying the Milky Way structure Karlie Noon, Gamilaroi astrophysicist
O
Carolina Ödman-Govender, (1974–2022), Swiss astrophysicist and lecturer Sally Oey, American astronomer researching massive stars Kathleen Ollerenshaw, (1912–2014), English mathematician, politician, and amateur astronomer C. Michelle Olmstead (born 1969), American astronomer and computer scientist who has discovered minor planets Liisi Oterma (1915–2001), Finnish astronomer Mazlan Othman (born 1951), Malaysian astrophysicist Feryal Özel (born 1975), Turkish astrophysicist studying stellar remnants
P M. Alessandra Papa (born 1967), Italian physicist specializing in the observation of gravitational waves Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (1900–1979), British-born American astrophysicist and instructor Ruby Payne-Scott (1912–1981), Australian radio astronomer Louise du Pierry (1746–1807), French astronomer and instructor Carle Pieters (born 1943), American planetary scientist Thushara Pillai, (born 1980), Indian astrophysicist and astronomer Paris Pişmiş (1911–1999), Armenian-Mexican astronomer Elena V. Pitjeva, Russian astronomer studying solar system dynamics and celestial mechanics Carolyn Porco (born 1953), American planetary scientist Helen Dodson Prince (1905–2002), American astronomer and instructor Mary Proctor (1862–1957), American popularizer of astronomy
Q
Elisa Quintana, American planetary scientist
R Hilkka Rantaseppä-Helenius (1925–1975), Finnish astronomer who studied minor planets Luisa Rebull, American stellar astronomer Katharine Reeves, American solar astronomer Emily Rice, American astronomer researching sub-stellar objects including brown dwarfs Christina Richey, American planetary scientist and astrophysicist Marcia Rieke, American infrared astronomer and JWST NIRCam PI Julia Riley (born 1947), English radio astronomer Constance M. Rockosi, American galactic astronomer Elizabeth Roemer (1929–2016), American astronomer who studied minor planets Nancy Roman (1925–2018), American stellar astronomer Kat Ross, Australian astrophysicist studying black holes Marta Graciela Rovira, Argentinian astrophysicist Vera Rubin (1928–2016), American astronomer researching extragalactic astronomy María Teresa Ruiz (born 1946), Chilean astronomer
S
Penny Sackett (born 1956), American-born Australian astronomer, educator, and manager Rita M. Sambruna, American astrophysicist studying supermassive black holes and jets Anneila Sargent (born 1942), Scottish–American astronomer specialized in star formation Ann Savage (1946–2017), British astronomer Caterina Scarpellini (1808–1873), Italian astronomer and meteorologist Susan M. Scott, Australian mathematical physicist working on general relativity, gravitational singularities, and black holes. Sara Seager (born 1971), Canadian-American astronomer and planetary scientist Waltraut Seitter (1930–2007), German astronomer and instructor Muriel Mussells Seyfert (1909–1997), American astronomer Pelageya Shajn (1894–1956), Russian astronomer searching for minor planets Aomawa Shields, American astrophysicist and professor researching exoplanets Carolyn S. Shoemaker (1929–2021), American astronomer Amy Simon, American planetary scientist Charlotte Moore Sitterly (1898–1990), American astronomer who studied stellar physics Tamara Mikhaylovna Smirnova (1935–2001), Russian astronomer who searched for minor planets and comets Alicia M. Soderberg (1977–2025), American astrophysicist and instructor focused on supernovae Mary Somerville (1780–1872), Scottish scientist, writer, and polymath Linda Spilker (born 1955), American planetary scientist Ingrid Stairs, Canadian astronomer Denise Stephens, American astronomer and instructor Sarah Stewart-Mukhopadhyay, American planetary scientist Annapurni Subramaniam, director of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics Karlina Leksono Supelli (born 1958), Indonesian philosopher and astronomer Jean Swank, American astrophysicist studying compact objects Henrietta Hill Swope (1902–1980), American astronomer who studied variable stars Nadezhda Sytinskaya (1906–1974), Soviet astronomer and planetary scientist Paula Szkody (born 1948), American astronomer and instructor specialized in cataclysmic variable stars
T Jill Tarter (born 1944), American astronomer focused on SETI Florence Taylor Hildred (1865–1932), English astronomer and pastor Alenush Terian (1921–2011), Iranian-Armenian astronomer Michelle Thaller (born 1969), American astronomer and educator Jana Tichá (born 1965), Czech astronomer searching for minor planets Beatrice Tinsley (1941–1981), British-born New Zealand astronomer studying galactic evolution Maura Tombelli (born 1952), Italian amateur astronomer Christy A. Tremonti, American astronomer Virginia Louise Trimble (born 1943), American astronomer Lidiya Tseraskaya (1855–1931), Russian astronomer Margaret Turnbull (born 1975), American astronomer and astrobiologist Elizabeth Cornwall Tilley (born 1914), American astronomer
U Anne Barbara Underhill (1920–2003), Canadian astrophysicist who studied massive stars Meg Urry, American astrophysicist studying supermassive black holes and galaxies
V Bobbie Vaile (1959–1996), Australian astrophysicist and lecturer Zdeňka Vávrová (born 1945), Czech astronomer Faith Vilas, (born 1952), American planetary scientist Julie Vinter Hansen (1890–1960), Danish astronomer Mirjana Vukićević-Karabin (1933–2020), Serbian astrophysicist Emma Vyssotsky (1894–1975), American astronomer who studied astrometry
W
Lucianne Walkowicz (born 1979), American astronomer Wang Zhenyi (1768–1797), Chinese astronomer, mathematician, and poet Kim Weaver (born 1964), American astrophysicist and instructor focused on X-ray astronomy Sara Webb, Australian astrophysicist Alycia J. Weinberger, American astronomer studying planetary formation Mareta West (1915–1998), American astrogeologist Sarah Frances Whiting (1847–1927), American physicist, astronomer, and instructor Mary Watson Whitney (1847–1921), American astronomer and teacher Belinda Wilkes, English astrophysicist Beth Willman, American cosmologist Lee Anne Willson (born 1947), American astronomer Anna Winlock (1857–1904), American astronomer Jennifer Wiseman, American astrophysicist Rosemary Wyse (born 1957), Scottish astrophysicist and instructor Frances Woodworth Wright (1897–1989), American astronomer and educator Gillian Wright, Scottish astronomer Barbara A. Williams, American radio astronomer
Y Ye Shuhua (born 1927), Chinese astronomer and instructor Anne Sewell Young (1871–1961), American astronomer who studied variable stars Judith Young (1952–2014), American physicist, astronomer, and educator Louise Gray Young (1935–2018), American astronomer and researcher
Z Magdalena Zeger (around 1491–1568), calendar maker, astronomer, first women to publish independently in the field of astronomy Lyudmila Zhuravleva (born 1946), Russian-Ukrainian astronomer who discovered minor planets Maria Zuber (born 1958), American planetary scientist
See also List of astronomers List of astronomical instrument makers List of French astronomers List of Russian astronomers and astrophysicists Annie Jump Cannon Award in Astronomy
External links More information on women astronomers