Queen of the Cosmos: Beatrice Hill Tinsley

New Zealand has had many pioneering, trail-blazing women but Beatrice Hill Tinsley is probably someone lesser known who has made major contributions to the way scientists think about the cosmos.

Born in Chester, England during World War 2, Beatrice and her family moved to Aotearoa when she was five-years-old.

The biography tells how she became fascinated with astronomy, particularly cosmology and the challenges she faced as a woman learning about physics in the 1950s and 1960s. She and her husband moved to the United States where she completed her 5-year doctorate in just two years. As her research grew it became evident that she would have to leave her family to continue her work and become the first female professor of astronomy at Yale University. Tragically her life was cut short when she died at the age of 40 from melanoma.

This is an inspiring story of how someone can do so much in a short time and challenge long held existing theories scientific theories. Alistair Hughes' illustrations are captivating as he brings the author’s words to life in pictures that make you feel like you are connected to the characters.

I would use this book as an introduction to some of the higher order thinking around astronomy research or even to highlight the inequities for women in science in those decades and the power of determination.