From Wadham to the Sheldonian Theatre, the long line of scarlet-robed doctors processed this year's Commemoration at Oxford. It was less interesting for the inclusion of Lord Jellicoe, the chancellor at the exchequer and the prime minister than it was for the fact that it included a woman.Miss Annie Cannon from Harvard Observatory was an eminent astronomer who, on June 10, Oxford conferred an Honorary Doctor of Science degree on her. The crowd that had come to see the prime minister noticed something different. A woman walking in a procession dedicated to academic masculinity, distinguished male service, and it was a startling precedent.Professor Turner, in honor of Miss Cannon's visit to England, gave a lecture at Sommerville about Miss Cannons outstanding contribution to astronomy. He also linked it to Mary Somerville, after whom Oxfords famous womens college was named, and Caroline Herschel, who now has Girton's gold medal.Dr Annie Cannon continues the legacy of her forerunners. She has been able to classify 25,000 stars in both the northern and the southern hemispheres using the spectrum. This was done by comparing their heat, substance, distance and velocity. Professor Eddington was able to order the accumulated data based on his theory that nebula evolves from a low to a high temperature to a low again. The goal of William Herschel and Caroline Herschel were achieved and the life span of the nebula was compared to that of a planet.This is an edited version.
