How Wang Zhenyi, Chinese female astronomer and mathematician, defied gender expectations
Wang shot for the stars with her work in astronomy and mathematics at a time when learned women did little more than write poetry
As moon-gazers look skyward during the Mid-Autumn Festival weekend, they should spare a thought for Wang Zhenyi, one of China’s most notable astronomers and mathematicians – and a woman.
Her answer was physical, not mystical. It involved light, shadow and the movement of the moon. Using a round table for the Earth, a lamp for the sun and a mirror for the moon, she shifted them around until the shadows they cast made sense.
The result was The Explanation of a Lunar Eclipse, written at a time when astronomy required imperial permission and women-led scientific research was virtually unheard of. Little of her work has survived to the present day.