EPISODE · May 11, 2026 · 13 MIN
The Woman Who Touched the Stars
from The Breaking Point · host Podcaster
Cecilia Payne's revolutionary 1925 dissertation proved that stars are made mostly of hydrogen—but her male advisors forced her to call her own discovery 'spurious.' Decades later, it became the foundation of modern astrophysics. This is the story of how a 25-year-old woman solved one of the universe's biggest mysteries, only to be told she was wrong about her own groundbreaking work. 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
Cecilia Payne's revolutionary 1925 dissertation proved that stars are made mostly of hydrogen—but her male advisors forced her to call her own discovery 'spurious.' Decades later, it became the foundation of modern astrophysics. This is the story of how a 25-year-old woman solved one of the universe's biggest mysteries, only to be told she was wrong about her own groundbreaking work.
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The Woman Who Touched the Stars
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