Maria Mitchell was an American astronomer, librarian, naturalist, and educator. In 1847, she discovered a comet named 1847 VI that was later known as "Miss Mitchell's Comet" in her honor. She won a gold medal prize for her discovery, which was presented to her by King Christian VIII of Denmark in 1848. Mitchell was the first internationally known woman to work as both a professional astronomer and a professor of astronomy after accepting a position at Vassar College in 1865. She was also the first woman elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Maria Mitchell
Photograph of Maria Mitchell by Julia Ward Howe, 1899
Portrait of Maria Mitchell by Herminia Borchard Dassel, ca. 1851
Maria Mitchell (seated) inside the dome of the Vassar College Observatory, with her student Mary Watson Whitney (standing), circa 1877
Vassar College is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college became coeducational in 1969. The college offers BA degrees in more than fifty majors. Vassar College's varsity sports teams, known as the Brewers, play in the NCAA's Division III as members of the Liberty League. Currently, there are close to 2,500 students.
1861 oil portrait of Matthew Vassar by Charles Loring Elliott
Main Building, built in 1861 by architect James Renwick Jr., had the most interior space of any building in the United States, until the U.S. Capitol was completed in 1868.
Liberation Lawn at Vassar College, one of the college protest encampments surrounding the pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses in 2024.
Catharine Bond Hill served as college president from 2006 to 2016.