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Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin

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Definition

Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (1900-1979) was an English-American astronomer who made significant contributions to our understanding of stars.

She was the first woman to earn a PhD in astronomy from Harvard University, and she went on to become a professor at Harvard and the director of the Harvard College Observatory.

Payne-Gaposchkin's most important work was her study of the composition of stars. She used spectroscopy to analyze the light from stars, and she discovered that stars are mostly made of hydrogen and helium. This discovery was a major breakthrough in astronomy, and it helped to revolutionize our understanding of stellar evolution and the formation of the universe.

How can the word be used?

Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin's work on stellar composition is still considered to be groundbreaking today.

Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin

Different forms of the word

Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin is a proper noun.

Etymology

The name Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin comes from the following words:

Cecilia: A feminine given name of Latin origin, meaning "blind" or "dark".

Payne: A surname of English origin, meaning "dweller at a hill or mound".

Gaposchkin: A surname of Russian origin, meaning "son of Gaposhka".

Question

What is Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin famous for?

AQA Science Exam Question and Answer

Question:

Who was Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, and what groundbreaking contribution did she make to the field of astronomy?

Answer:

Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin was a British-American astronomer and astrophysicist known for her groundbreaking work on stellar astrophysics.

Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin made a groundbreaking contribution to the understanding of stellar composition. In her PhD thesis, she proposed that stars are primarily composed of hydrogen and helium, a revolutionary idea at the time. Prior to her work, it was widely believed that stars had a similar composition to Earth. Her research and discovery laid the foundation for modern astrophysics and our current understanding of stellar evolution and the composition of stars. Payne-Gaposchkin's work significantly advanced the field of astronomy and earned her recognition as one of the most influential astronomers of the 20th century.