Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association Hosts Miss Mitchell Comet Party

September 12, 2024

NANTUCKET, MA—The Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association (MMA) announces the upcoming 177th anniversary of Maria Mitchell’s discovery, a comet that was subsequently named C1847V1, on October 1, 1847. The MMA will celebrate by hosting Miss Mitchell’s Comet Party at Loines Observatory, 59 Milk Street Ext. on Saturday, October 5 from 7 – 9pm. Tickets are available to the public for $25 and can be purchased here:


https://112458a.blackbaudhosting.com/112458a/Miss-Mitchells-Comet-Party


On the evening of October 1, 1847, Maria Mitchell (1818-1889) climbed to the rooftop of the Mitchell family home, then located at the Pacific Bank where her father, William Mitchell, was cashier. This was her nightly regimen, but it was not to be an ordinary night. On that cool evening, Maria swept her telescope across the sky and noticed something that did not belong. It was a comet. Confirmation from her father and then their friends, the Bonds at the Harvard College Observatory, helped lead Maria to be awarded a gold medal from the King of Denmark for her discovery, setting her on a path that changed the trajectory of her life forever. From professor of astronomy at Vassar College, to lifelong friendships with the great scientists and thinkers of the nineteenth century, to employment as one of the first women to work for the US federal government, Maria Mitchell created a legacy that not just influenced the path for women, but for all of us in the sciences, even today.


Maria Mitchell was born to Quaker parents on Nantucket, on August 1, 1818. The Quaker tradition taught that both boys and girls should be educated, and Maria received an education at island schools, her father’s schools, and at home. Her father was a major influence on her life; Maria developed her love of astronomy from his instruction in astronomy, mathematics, surveying, and navigation. At age 12, Maria helped her father to calculate the position of their home by observing a solar eclipse. By 14, ship captains trusted her to rate their ships’ chronometers for their long whaling voyages. Maria pursued her love of learning as a young

woman, becoming the Nantucket Atheneum’s first librarian. She and her father continued to acquire astronomical equipment and conduct observations, working for the US Coast Survey among other entities.


“Maria Mitchell grew up in a unique community in which she witnessed women standing up and speaking in front of Quaker meeting, women making financial decisions for their families, and large numbers of women working outside their homes,” says MMA Deputy Director and Curator of the Mitchell House, Archives, and Special Collections, Jascin Leonardo Finger. “Witnessing this, and having the support of her Quaker parents, Maria Mitchell helped to forge a path for women in education and women in the sciences that not only influenced her generation and that of her students, but the generations that came afterwards including into the present day.”


The MMA was founded by Maria Mitchell’s former students, family members, and admirers in 1902. Today, the organization bearing her name strives to continue her legacy through preservation of her birthplace and papers, astronomical and natural science research, and interactive, hands-on educational programs for all ages.


Located on the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts, the MMA creates opportunities for all to develop a life-long passion for science through education, research, and first-hand exploration of the sky, land, and sea of Nantucket Island. It serves both visitors and seasonal and year-round residents. Now celebrating over a century of discovery, the MMA is dedicated to opening up the universe to curious minds and allowing people to see what before was unseen.

The Maria Mitchell Association is a private non-profit organization. Founded in 1902, the MMA works to preserve the legacy of Nantucket native astronomer, naturalist, librarian, and educator, Maria Mitchell. The Maria Mitchell Association operates two observatories, a natural science museum, an aquarium, a research center, and preserves the historic birthplace of Maria Mitchell. A wide variety of science and history-related programming is offered throughout the year for people of all ages.

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For Immediate Release

September 12, 2024

Contact: Molly Mosscrop

mmosscrop@mariamitchell.org

Recent Posts

Raise The Roof!

By Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • April 6, 2026
Well, actually replace the roof! With funding from the Community Preservation Act and the work of Lydon and Sons, Inc. the Mitchell House is getting a new roof. The current one had come to the end of its useful life. A cedar roof can last a long time – longer than asphalt – and is more historically accurate. The roof we are removing was installed in about 1992 – replacing a roof from the 1930s that was not cedar but a combination of materials that actually yes, did last sixty years. The unfortunate issue has arisen that the roofwalk (walk) has to be replaced. This is NOT the original walk – nor that old of a walk. It’s likely from the 1970s or so and has been cobbled at over time. It’s not a functioning walk – no one is allowed on it – but the Mitchell House needs it none the less. Maria Mitchell and her father, William, likely used the walk for astronomical observations – in addition to the yard – but the walk is also protected as part of the preservation easement on the House. Walks – NOT and NEVER called widow’s walks – were used for preventing and putting out chimney fire and roof fires. In a place where wood was expensive and had to be brought from “the main” these were purely utilitarian. What good Quaker (or non-Quaker) would build a platform for his wife to stare out to the harbor to see if her husband was on his way home? The other issue is that the walk was completely resting on the ridge board – and actually was notched to accept the pitch and tip of the ridge board so they couldn’t work around it. I suspect this may have been the ways walks were once built – and also a crafty and smart thinking carpenter who came up with the idea. It makes the walk lower. But between that issue and the age of the walk and then the blizzard of February 2026 that packed gusts over 83 MPH (that’s Category 1 hurricane winds) the walk gave in. Balusters had been knocked out and the railings were loose and pulling away from the posts. So, we will also be working with Barber and Sons to create a new roofwalk – and they agreed to do this for us quickly which is also no small feat given how busy everyone is these days. So from the bottom of the Mitchell House’s heart (and mine) a big thank you to Chris Lydon and Lydon and Sons and crew, Barber and Sons / Beau and Nate Barber, the Community Preservation Committee, and Nantucket Preservation Trust (our easement holder)! JNLF

Keep Calm and Bird On: April 2026

April 1, 2026
“If you don’t look, you don’t see. You have to go and look.” -Edith Andrews

Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association Welcomes Dr. Joshua Reding for “Dark and Quiet: Astronomy in the Age of Satellite Constellations” For April Science Speaker Series

April 1, 2026
NANTUCKET, MA—The Maria Mitchell Association (MMA) invites the community to “Dark and Quiet: Astronomy in the Age of Satellite Constellation” presented by Dr. Joshua Reding for its April Science Speaker Series. This free presentation will take place Wednesday, April 15 from 7 – 8pm on Zoom. In the past decade, the number of active satellites in Earth’s orbit has grown by a factor of 10. This breakneck growth in the commercial space industry has turned entrepreneur, investor, and policymaker eyes to the skies, but in the process has boxed out the historic stewards of the space domain: scientists. Explorers and pioneers across human history learned that uncharted territory hides unprecedented challenges, but the consequences of decisions made towards occupying the “final frontier” do not abide by international borders. Space operators therefore ignore the warnings and concerns of scientists not only at their own risk, but at the risk of everyone living under increasingly crowded skies. In this conversation, Dr. Josh Reding will explain how astronomers are trying to inform and guide policymaking for the rapidly changing space environment, both informally through volunteer action and advocacy and formally in domestic and international policy forums. Dr. Reding is an optical astronomer by training and now a radio spectrum manager by profession. He completed his B.A. with a double major in Astronomy-Physics and Philosophy at Colgate University, and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Physics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research investigated unusual white dwarf stars that likely formed in stellar mergers as “failed” supernovae and he has also designed astronomical instrument components and installed them at world-class observatories. Concurrent with the completion of his Ph.D., Reding began his professional science policy career as a North Carolina STEM Policy Fellow in the NC Department of Commerce’s Office of Science, Technology & Innovation. He was then selected for the American Association for the Advancement of Science Science & Technology Policy Fellowship, which places scientists in federal offices as expert contributors to ongoing agency missions. This event will be held via Zoom. Pre-registration is required. To register for the free, virtual event, use the registration link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5MoAybp5QHCasQ0QE5xmgQ#/registration The Science Speaker Series is generously sponsored by the Maria Mitchell Association’s lead sponsor, Bank of America. The Maria Mitchell Association was founded in 1902 to preserve the legacy of Nantucket native astronomer, naturalist, librarian, and educator, Maria Mitchell. After she discovered a comet in 1847, Mitchell’s international fame led to many achievements and awards, including an appointment as the first professor of astronomy at Vassar College. Maria Mitchell believed in “learning by doing” and today that philosophy is reflected in the MMA’s mission statement, programs, research projects, and other activities. The Maria Mitchell Association operates two observatories, a natural science museum, an aquarium, a research center, and preserves the historic birthplace of Maria Mitchell. A wide variety of science and history-related programming is offered throughout the year for people of all ages. ###
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