Lady Margaret Huggins 1845-1915
One of the pioneers of astrophysics was born here in 1848, Margaret Lindsay Murray, and a plaque on the wall honours her. Murray went on to marry a noted English astronomer, Sir William Huggins, and for 30 years they collaborated together, laying the foundations for modern astrophysics.
Working at Sir William’s private observatory in London, this astronomical couple studied the composition of starlight and supernovae, using spectroscopy to identify the elements present in the stars.
Margaret was interested in astronomy from a young age, and friendly with the renowned telescope maker, Sir Howard Grubb, who introduced her to William Huggins.
The Huggins’s won acclaim and many honours for their work — although, the customs of the day meant that most of the honours went to Sir William. However, their publications and notebooks reveal that she was an equal partner.
Lady Margaret Huggins died in London in 1915.
Read about the life and work of Lady Margaret Huggins in “Stars, Shells and Bluebells”, edited by Mary Mulvihill (WITS, 1997 — ebook coming 2015
