Looking at the Sky Through a Glass Ceiling

Presenter(s): Donna Burton

Affiliation(s): Milroy Observatory, Astronomical Society of Coonabarabran

Session details: Saturday, 2018-03-31 00:00:00, MCON

Abstract

A look at women in astronomy through the ages. Women have made significant contributions to the development of astronomy as a science, yet their work has been restricted, unregarded and little recognized. I will outline some significant careers and show how these talented and determined women overcame the restrictions on their lives to make their marks. Their solid achievements came at considerable cost and attracted little professional recognition.

Biography

Donna Burton lives in northwest NSW, Australia, at Coonabarabran the Astronomy Capital of Australia. Donna has always been in love with the sky. She fell in love with the sky at an early age growing up across the inland of Australia as a “Drover’s Brat”, learning the constellations and various skylore stories. She has been a passionate amateur astronomer for most of her life. Donna is undertaking a PhD in AstroPhysics at the University of Southern Queensland. For many years, Donna worked at the Siding Spring Observatory as an Operations Support Officer and Support Astronomer for the Australian National University where she was involved in outreach, telescope system support and training observers how to use the University’s telescopes. Donna is the Australian National Coordinator for the group Astronomers Without Borders. She became the first Australian woman to discover a comet in 2006 and followed it up with another in 2007. Donna now operates the Milroy Observatory i n Coonabarabran which hosts Australia's largest publicly available telescope the original 40inch telescope from Siding Spring Observatory.