EPISODE · Apr 19, 2026 · 12 MIN
The Woman Who Bottled Starlight
from The Breaking Point · host Podcaster
In the early 1900s, Harvard's 'computers' were women paid to catalog stars by hand. One of them, Cecilia Payne, made a discovery so shocking that the world's leading astronomers told her she was wrong—the sun was made of hydrogen, not iron and rock like Earth. Her rejected thesis would later be called the most brilliant PhD ever written in astronomy. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
What this episode covers
In the early 1900s, Harvard's 'computers' were women paid to catalog stars by hand. One of them, Cecilia Payne, made a discovery so shocking that the world's leading astronomers told her she was wrong—the sun was made of hydrogen, not iron and rock like Earth. Her rejected thesis would later be called the most brilliant PhD ever written in astronomy.
NOW PLAYING
The Woman Who Bottled Starlight
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
Mar 26, 2026 ·1m
Mar 19, 2026 ·34m
Feb 18, 2026 ·11m
Feb 11, 2026 ·45m