Elisabeth Bardwell

Elisabeth Miller Bardwell (December 4, 1831 – May 27, 1899) was an American astronomer whose main area of study was meteor showers. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 1866, and continued on at the college as an instructor until her death. During those 33 years, she taught a mixture of algebra, trigonometry, physics, and astronomy for the first twenty years, and eventually only astronomy after 1886. She also oversaw the development of the observatory at the college which included invited visits to the Washington, Princeton, Lick, Berlin, and Potsdam observatories.

Early life Elisabeth Miller Bardwell was born in Colrain The astronomy program became a popular course of study with nearly 20% of students choosing to enroll in an astronomy class between 1896-1976 after the college introduced an astronomy major in 1895. The development of the observatory and the course itself laid the groundwork for the next generation of female astronomy professors at the college, such as Anne Sewell Young. She also published detailed observations of the Leonid meteor shower, including a chart of the Leonid Radiant in Popular Astronomy. While these observations were not new discoveries, they helped confirm which radiants meteors originated from. In 1880, Bardwell oversaw the building of the John Payson Williston Observatory where she would be the director until her death.

Death and legacy Towards the end of her life, Bardwell resided in Greenfield, Massachusetts with her sister. Her sister died in 1895, leading to a long period of grief for Bardwell who felt very close with her sister. Seven years prior to her death, Bardwell was diagnosed with a severe illness from which she never fully recovered. On May 27,1899, Elisabeth Bardwell died in Greenfield, with one of her sisters by her side. Bardwell was a proponent of balancing a faith in God with challenging assumptions, and investigating the world through observation. The tributes read at her memorial included:

"When I first met Miss Bardwell I stood in awe of her, but soon finding her sympathy and tenderness, learned to go to her in trouble."

"How safe I felt about everything I had committed to her care! How true she was to every interest and to every friend!"