Agnes Mary Clerke was an astronomer

Astronomer

An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...

 and writer

Writer

A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....

, mainly in the field of astronomy

Astronomy

Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...

. She was born in Skibbereen

Skibbereen

Skibbereen , is a town in County Cork, Ireland. It is the most southerly town in Ireland. It is located on the N71 national secondary road.The name "Skibbereen" means "little boat harbour." The River Ilen which runs through the town reaches the sea at Baltimore.-History:Prior to 1600 most of the...

, County Cork

County Cork

County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, and died in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

.

Life and work

Agnes Clerke was the daughter of John Willis Clerke (c.1814 -1890) and his wife Margaret (b.c1819). Her father was a judge's registrar.

She was interested in astronomy from an early age, and had begun to write about it before the age of 15. In 1861 her family moved to Dublin, and in 1863 to Queenstown. Several years later she went to Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 where she stayed until 1877, chiefly at Florence

Florence

Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....

, studying at the public library and preparing for literary work. In 1877 she settled in London.

Her first important article, Copernicus in Italy, was published in the Edinburgh Review in October 1877. She achieved a worldwide reputation in 1885, on the appearance of her exhaustive treatise, A Popular History of Astronomy during the Nineteenth Century. Clerke was not a practical astronomer, instead collating, interpreting and summarising the results of astronomical research. In 1888 she spent three months at the Cape Observatory as the guest of the director, Sir David Gill

David Gill (astronomer)

Sir David Gill FRS was a Scottish astronomer who is known for measuring astronomical distances, for astrophotography, and for geodesy. He spent much of his career in South Africa.- Life and work :...

, and his wife, and there became sufficiently familiar with spectroscopic

Astronomical spectroscopy

Astronomical spectroscopy is the technique of spectroscopy used in astronomy. The object of study is the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation, including visible light, which radiates from stars and other celestial objects...

 work to be enabled to write about this newer branch of the science with increased clearness and confidence.

In 1892 she was awarded the Actonian Prize

Actonian Prize

The Actonian Prize was established by the Royal Institution as a septennial award for the "person who in the judgement of the committee of managers for the time being of the Institution, should have been the author of the best essay illustrative of the wisdom and beneficence of the Almighty, in...

 of 100 guineas by the Royal Institution

Royal Institution

The Royal Institution of Great Britain is an organization devoted to scientific education and research, based in London.-Overview:...

. As a member of the British Astronomical Association

British Astronomical Association

The British Astronomical Association is the senior national association of amateur astronomers in the UK.-Function:It encourages observational astronomy by non-professionals in areas which cannot be covered by professional observatories...

 she attended its meetings regularly, as well as those of the Royal Astronomical Society

Royal Astronomical Society

The Royal Astronomical Society is a learned society that began as the Astronomical Society of London in 1820 to support astronomical research . It became the Royal Astronomical Society in 1831 on receiving its Royal Charter from William IV...

. In 1903, with Lady Huggins

Margaret Lindsay Huggins

Margaret Lindsay, Lady Huggins , born Margaret Lindsay Murray, was an Irish scientific investigator and amateur astronomer. With her husband William Huggins she was a pioneer in the field of spectroscopy....

, she was elected an honorary member of the Royal Astronomical Society, a rank previously held only by two other women, Caroline Herschel

Caroline Herschel

Caroline Lucretia Herschel was a German-British astronomer, the sister of astronomer Sir Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel with whom she worked throughout both of their careers. Her most significant contribution to astronomy was the discovery of several comets and in particular the periodic comet...

 and Mary Somerville

Mary Somerville

Mary Fairfax Somerville was a Scottish science writer and polymath, at a time when women's participation in science was discouraged...

.

Her sister, Ellen Mary Clerke

Ellen Mary Clerke

Ellen Mary Clerke was an author, journalist, poet and popular science writer in the field of astronomy. She was born in Skibbereen, County Cork, in Ireland. She wrote for the London Tablet, and also spent much time in Italy...

 (1840–1906), also wrote about astronomy.

The lunar crater Clerke

Clerke (crater)

Clerke is a tiny lunar crater. It is located near the eastern edge of Mare Serenitatis in the midst of a rille system named the Rimae Littrow after the crater Littrow to the east. Clerke is roughly circular and cup-shaped, with a relatively high albedo...

 is named after her.

Selected writings

• A Popular History of Astronomy during the Nineteenth Century. Edinburgh, 1885 (4th rev. ed. London, 1902)
• The System of the Stars. London, 1890 (2nd ed. London, 1905)
• The Herschels and Modern Astronomy. London, 1895
• The Concise Knowledge Astronomy (co-authored with John Ellard Gore and Alfred Fowler
  Alfred Fowler
  Alfred Fowler, FRS was an English astronomer. Not to be confused with American astrophysicist William Alfred Fowler....
  
  . London, 1898
• Problems in Astrophysics. London, 1903
• Modern Cosmogonies. London, 1905
• Familiar Studies in Homer. London, 1892

She also wrote 55 articles for the Edinburgh Review

Edinburgh Review

The Edinburgh Review, founded in 1802, was one of the most influential British magazines of the 19th century. It ceased publication in 1929. The magazine took its Latin motto judex damnatur ubi nocens absolvitur from Publilius Syrus.In 1984, the Scottish cultural magazine New Edinburgh Review,...

, mainly on subjects connected with astrophysics, and several articles for the Dictionary of National Biography

Dictionary of National Biography

The Dictionary of National Biography is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published from 1885...

, the Encyclopædia Britannica

Encyclopædia Britannica

The Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...

and the Catholic Encyclopedia

Catholic Encyclopedia

The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia and the Original Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in the United States. The first volume appeared in March 1907 and the last three volumes appeared in 1912, followed by a master index...

, and several other periodicals.

External links

Bibliography of writings about Agnes Mary Clerke.

• Biographical material from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
  Astronomical Society of the Pacific
  The Astronomical Society of the Pacific is a scientific and educational organization, founded in San Francisco on February 7, 1889. Its name derives from its origins on the Pacific Coast, but today it has members all over the country and the world...