Overview

A portrait of trailblazing astronomer Henrietta Leavitt and an illustrated exploration of the power of attention in scientific observation, artistic creation, and the making of meaning. A portrait of trailblazing astronomer Henrietta Leavitt and an illustrated exploration of the power of attention in scientific observation, artistic creation, and the making of meaning. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, has a diameter of about 100,000 light years-a figure we can calculate because of the work of Henrietta Leavitt (1868-1921), who spent decades studying glass plate photographs of the night sky. Visual artist and researcher Anna Von Mertens's Attention Is Discovery is a fascinating portrait of this remarkable woman who laid the foundation for modern cosmology, as well as an exploration of the power of looking and its revelatory role at the center of scientific discovery. Ushering us into the scientific community of women who worked alongside Leavitt, now known as the Harvard Computers, Von Mertens describes the inventive methodologies Leavitt devised to negotiate the era's emerging photographic technology. Interspersed with Von Mertens's meticulously researched and lyrically written essays are collaborations with art historian Jennifer Roberts, cosmologist Wendy Freedman, astrophysicist Jo o Alves, and novelist Rebecca Dinerstein Knight. Alongside Leavitt's process, evident in her astronomical logbooks and ink notations on the glass plates, Von Mertens includes details of the hand-stitched quilts and graphite drawings that she made in response to Leavitt's legacy. This interweaving of text and image engages and rewards the reader's own close attention. Highlighting ways that subtle, repeated actions build meaning-whether skilled, technical observation, the crafting of an object, or the mundane tasks that construct our exquisite lives-Von Mertens's pairing of close looking with close reading creates a layered portrait of Henrietta Leavitt that acknowledges the significance of her discovery and the richness of its inheritance.

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Reviews

“Fans of Hidden Figures and The Glass Universe will appreciate Anna Von Mertens’s captivating portrait of Henrietta Leavitt and the Harvard Computers, who laid the foundation for modern cosmology at the turn of the 20th century. Blending complex science with human-interest stories, Von Mertens celebrates the constellation of women scientists who discovered how to calculate galactic distances and classify stars by chemical composition. The writing occasionally veers into textbook territory, but Von Mertens in­cludes vibrant illustrations and archival documents that help to bring these astronomical legends to life on the page. This deeply researched book is ultimately an homage to the process of observation and meaning making in science.” —Scientific American

Author Information

Anna Von Mertens is the recipient of a 2010 United States Artists Fellowship in Visual Arts and a 2021-2022 Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Her exhibition Measure presented at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute traveled to the University Galleries of Illinois State University and Allen Memorial Art Museum at Oberlin College.

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