Anna Winlock was born in 1857, daughter of astronomer Joseph Winlock, the director of the Harvard College Observatory. Having remarkable abilities in mathematics and astronomy, Winlock joined the observatory to help support her family after her father’s death in 1875, becoming one of the first paid female staff members of the Harvard College Observatory. She was joined by by three other women, forming a group known as the Harvard Computers. This group performed the mathematical calculations needed to transform astronomical observations into precise scientific data. Winlock worked at the Observatory for thirty years, making major contributions to the Astronomische Gesellschaft Katalog, a milestone in stellar cataloging. Winlock also studied asteroid orbits, contributing important early calculations for the asteroid Eros and collaborating with astronomer Simon Newcomb on the orbit of Ocllo.
