Myrtle Leila Richmond (September 30, 1882 – January 2, 1973) was an American astronomical researcher, a
computer who worked at the
Mount Wilson Observatory from 1913 to 1947.
Early life and education
Richmond was born in
Vinland, Kansas, the daughter of Frank L. Richmond and Leila Delight Richmond.[1] Her father was construction superintendent in the railroad industry.[2] She graduated from
Smith College in 1907,[3] and earned a master's degree in 1908 at the
University of Denver.[4] She was active in Smith College alumnae activities in Los Angeles.[5]
Richmond joined the Mount Wilson Observatory computing department in 1913, and retired in 1947, after she "ably assisted in a large number of stellar and solar investigations."[10][11][12] She was listed as a member of the observatory's "investigatory staff" in 1917.[13] Her work also helped to establish the location of the planet
Pluto,[14][15][16] and of the
moons of Jupiter.[17] She contributed to several observatory publications,[18][19] including A photometric study of the pleiades (1931, with
Harlow Shapley), Mean distribution of stars according to apparent magnitude and galactic latitude (1925), The mean color-index of stars of different apparent magnitudes. Some relations between magnitude scales (1925), and Mount Wilson catalogue of photographic magnitudes in selected areas 1–139 (1930).[20] She co-authored articles with American astronomer
Seth Barnes Nicholson[21] and Danish astronomer
Julie Vinter Hansen.[22]
^Howe, H. A. (October 1, 1910).
REPORTS OF OBSERVATORIES, 1909. JSTOR. Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. p. 191.
^Payne, William Wallace; Willard, Charlotte R.; Wilson, Herbert Couper; Wilson, Ralph Elmer; Gingrich, Curvin Henry (June–July 1913).
"General Notes". Popular Astronomy. 21: 379.