I have to commend Andrew Fraknoi and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific on a great new web resource that came across my desk yesterday. “Women in Astronomy: An Introductory Resource Guide to Materials in English” is an excellent index for astronomy and history enthusiasts who want to learn more about how the female gender has impacted our study of the universe. It contains print and web references for the general topic of women in astronomy, in addition to references for 32 specific women. And Fraknoi is open to more. His only criterion is that the woman has to have been featured in a popular journal so that her work is explained in a version that students of astronomy can understand.

The web site may be focused on aiding students and educators who wish to cover the topic, but as a history enthusiast, I think it’s great to click on a few of the links in my free time and just read. It’s amazing to learn what some of these women accomplished and the obstacles they had to overcome to do so. And I’m proud to say we’ve covered many of them over the years in the pages of Astronomy.