Annie Jump Cannon

Annie Jump Cannon
Annie Jump Cannon in 1922
Born	(1863-12-11)December 11, 1863 Dover, Delaware, U.S.
Died	April 13, 1941(1941-04-13) (aged 77) Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Wellesley College, Wilmington Conference Academy, Radcliffe College
Known for	Stellar classification
Influences	Sarah Frances Whiting, American physicist and astronomer
Notable awards	Henry Draper Medal (1931)

Annie Jump Cannon (December 11, 1863 – April 13, 1941) was an American astronomer whose cataloging work was instrumental in the development of contemporary stellar classification. With Edward C. Pickering, she is credited with the creation of the Harvard Classification Scheme, which was the first serious attempt to organize and classify stars based on their temperatures and spectral types. She was nearly deaf throughout her career. She was a suffragist and a member of the National Women's Party.

Annie Jump Cannon was born on December 11, 1863, in Dover, Delaware. She was the eldest of three daughters born to Wilson Cannon, a Delaware shipbuilder and state senator, and his second wife, Mary Jump. Cannon's mother was the first person to teach her the constellations and encouraged her to follow her own interests, suggesting that she pursue studies in mathematics, chemistry, and biology at Wellesley College. Cannon and her mother used an old astronomy textbook to identify stars seen from their attic. Cannon's mother also taught her daughter household economics, which Cannon would later use to organize her research.

Cannon took her mother's advice and pursued her love of astronomy. Cannon suffered hearing loss sometime during her childhood or early adult years. Sources vary on the time frame and actual cause, although it is sometimes attributed to scarlet fever. Some people claim Cannon's hearing loss made it difficult for her to socialize, resulting in her immersing herself in her work. She never married and did not have children.

At Wilmington Conference Academy (today known as Wesley College), Cannon was a promising student, particularly in mathematics. In 1880, Cannon was sent to Wellesley College in Massachusetts, one of the top academic schools for women in the US, where she studied physics and astronomy.