Science, inventions & engineering
Maria Mitchell
1818–1889
Massachusetts connection
Nantucket
Mitchell studied the sky from Nantucket and discovered a comet in 1847. She became an astronomer and teacher who encouraged women to study science. Her observations connected an island rooftop to international scientific work. Keeping careful records helped make her discovery useful to others.
You can use your device’s reading tools or read with a partner.
Your turn, historian
Find a detail. Build an idea.
- What did this person or group do? Point to a detail in the reading.
- What problem did this person investigate? Who else helped make progress?
- What would you like to find out next? Which kind of source could help?
“Maria Mitchell mattered because ___. A detail that supports my idea is ___.”
Follow the evidence.
This short reading is an original classroom summary. Open the source with your teacher to check details and learn more.
Read the source: mariamitchell.org ↗Ask: Who made this source? What can it tell us? What might it leave out?