In her doctoral thesis from 1925, British-born American astronomer and astrophysicist Cecilia Helena Payne-Gaposchkin claimed that stars are primarily composed of hydrogen and helium.

This is her tale of her challenges and triumphs in a field where men predominate.

About the speaker: Trevor Worrall

Since my school days, astronomy has piqued my attention. A 60mm refractor was my very first telescope. I remember the first foggy views of Saturn with a barlow lens and perhaps a 6mm eyepiece; Saturn certainly moved quickly across that field of vision. And of course, a wood manual mount bought from the long-since closed Dixons company. In those early days, there was only one TV programme dedicated to astronomy, and I can still recall binge-watching all the Sky at Night episodes I could stay up for. Time travel to the future, Sylvia and I were seeking for a good location to see a meteor shower when we stumbled upon the Hoober stand and the J. A. Jones Observatory. After only one phone chat with our chairman Les, I was completely hooked! I had a brief term as an observation officer, which I really enjoyed, and I loved the public outreach activities even more.