Catharine Octavia Stevens

Catharine Octavia Stevens (1864-1959)
Credit: British Astronomical Association

The daughter of a reverend, Catharine Octavia Stevens was tutored in music, painting, and embroidery. Her true passion was for astronomy, however, and in 1891, she joined the British Astronomical Association where she focused her interests on solar observing. Stevens utilized a 3-inch refracting telescope and a spyglass to make her observations, and she also created a new type of stand for her spyglass which was later called the "Stevens stand." Throughout her life, she was an avid solar researcher, embarking on three solar eclipse exhibitions around the world. Her main interest was in the study of shadow bands (these are thin, wavy lines of alternating light and dark that appear to move along surfaces right before and after a total solar eclipse). Stevens was also interested in the relationship between astronomy and meteorology, the phenomena of auroras, and the relationship between comets and meteor showers. In 1910, she built a house and observatory atop Boars Hill, Oxford - a perfect way for her to conduct her astronomical studies.

From 1905 to 1911, Stevens was the Director of the Meteor Section of the British Astronomical Association. One of her goals was to improve the organization of the Meteor Section so that its observations would be more scientifically useful. This proved to be a difficult task, as she was new to both the directorship role and the study of meteoric astronomy. However, she was able to contribute to the Meteor Section in another way - by expanding its scope to include aurora observations.