Myrtle L. Richmond

Richmond was born in Vinland, Kansas, the daughter of Frank L. Richmond and Leila Delight Richmond.[1] Her father was construction superintendent in the railroad industry.[2] She graduated from Smith College in 1907,[3] and earned a master's degree in 1908 at the University of Denver.[4] She was active in Smith College alumnae activities in Los Angeles.[5]

Richmond taught mathematics at the University of Denver,[4] and worked at Chamberlin Observatory in Colorado in 1909.[6] She was a fellow in mathematics and astronomy at Goodsell Observatory in 1912,[7] where she worked on variable stars[8] and a comet's orbit.[9]

Richmond joined the Mount Wilson Observatory computing department in 1913, and retired in 1947, after she "ably assisted in a large number of stellar and solar investigations."[10][11][12] She was listed as a member of the observatory's "investigatory staff" in 1917.[13] Her work also helped to establish the location of the planet Pluto,[14][15][16] and of the moons of Jupiter.[17] She contributed to several observatory publications,[18][19] including A photometric study of the pleiades (1931, with Harlow Shapley), Mean distribution of stars according to apparent magnitude and galactic latitude (1925), The mean color-index of stars of different apparent magnitudes. Some relations between magnitude scales (1925), and Mount Wilson catalogue of photographic magnitudes in selected areas 1-139 (1930).[20] She co-authored articles with American astronomer Seth Barnes Nicholson[21] and Danish astronomer Julie Vinter Hansen.[22]

Richmond enjoyed hiking.[23] She died in 1973, aged 90 years, in Pasadena. Her gravesite is in Woodstock, Vermont,[1] her father's hometown.[2]