Overview
Synopsis
Silent Sky tells the true story of Henrietta Leavitt, the astronomer ahead of her time. It is 1900, and Henrietta has the opportunity to work at Harvard University as a human computer, one of Dr. Edward Pickering’s “harem,” mapping the stars but receiving no scientific credit. When Henrietta arrives, she is eager to use Harvard’s telescope - the Great Refractor - but is told that she will not be able to do any sort of astronomical discovery as she will only log the stars photographed by the men of the department. However, Henrietta will not be dissuaded, and begins the process of recording the changes in Cepheid stars - a scientific discovery that has profound and lasting impact on the field of astronomy. During her inquiry, Henrietta’s relationships strain under her obsessive work ethic; her sister Margaret, her love interest Peter Shaw, and her colleagues Annie Cannon and Williamina Fleming all find themselves pushed aside in favor of a great cosmic mystery. Silent Sky is the poignant tale of a woman’s dedication to the stars, and the human touch that makes life under the vast sky beautiful and timeless.
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Context
In 1908, Henrietta Swan Leavitt published her groundbreaking hypothesis about the luminosity of Cepheid stars and how their changing brightness could be used to calculate distance. Originally one of “Pickering’s Harem” - the term applied to the women “computers” under the supervision of Harvard University astronomer and physicist Edward Pickering - Henrietta pursued her own inquiries into stars and galaxies during her free time. While measuring space has become commonplace in astrophysics
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It is 1900, and Henrietta Leavitt is gazing skyward in a Wisconsin field, waiting for the stars to appear and meditating on astronomy. Her sister Margaret sneaks up on her and pinches Henrietta, scolding her for first, not wearing her hearing aid, and second, for being outside in the cold when she should be in church. Henrietta confesses that she is too anxious to sit still - the Harvard University Observatory has offered her a position in their laboratory. Margaret is shocked and unhappy about
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Character Portrayals
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Guide Written By:
Cindi Calhoun
Theatre teacher, director, writer, and seamstress