Edward Charles Pickering

Edward Charles Pickering directed the Harvard College Observatory from 1877 to 1919 and built the program of stellar spectroscopy and photography that produced the Henry Draper Catalogue. He hired a remarkable team of women — the Harvard 'computers' — whose work, including Cannon's classification and Leavitt's distance relation, reshaped astrophysics.

• Directed Harvard College Observatory for over 40 years
• Founded the team of women 'computers' including Cannon and Leavitt
• Oversaw the Henry Draper Catalogue and Harvard classification

• Harvard Spectral Classification1901 CE
• Henry Draper Catalogue1924 CE

• Part ofModern Astronomy
• Collaborated withAnnie Jump Cannon
• Collaborated withHenrietta Swan Leavitt
• IntroducedHenry Draper Catalogue
• IntroducedHarvard Spectral Classification