Henrietta Leavitt

Henrietta Leavitt was an American astronomer whose pioneering work in the early 20th century laid the foundation for modern astrophysics. She is best known for her discovery of the relationship between the luminosity and period of Cepheid variable stars, which allowed astronomers to measure astronomical distances accurately. Despite working in a time when women were often sidelined in science, her contributions significantly advanced the understanding of the universe's scale and led to the realization that our galaxy is just one of many in the cosmos.