Margaret Harwood (March 19, 1885 – February 6, 1979) was an American
astronomer who specialized in
photometry, which involved measuring variation in the light of
stars and
asteroids. In 1916, at 30 years old, Harwood was named director of
Maria Mitchell Observatory, and worked there until her retirement in 1957. In 1917, she discovered the asteroid
886 Washingtonia four days before its formal recognition, but was advised not to report it because it would have been inappropriate for a woman to do so. In 1923, she became the first woman to gain access to the
Mount Wilson Observatory, and in 1924 was the first woman allowed to use
the observatory's 60-inch telescope, the largest in the world at the time. In 1960, an asteroid discovered at
Palomar was named in her honor as
7040 Harwood. This photograph of Harwood is in the archives of the
Smithsonian Institution.
Photograph credit: unknown; restored by Adam Cuerden