The Mystery of the Stars: Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, Astronomer

October 2026

Cecilia Payne refused to let the barriers of her time hold her back.

In early twentieth-century England, women couldn’t even earn degrees at Cambridge, yet Cecilia pursued her dream of becoming a scientist. Her journey eventually led her to Harvard, where she peered deep into the stars and made a discovery that forever changed our understanding of the universe. Before Cecilia, scientists believed stars were like planets with hotter surfaces, but her work rewrote the story of the cosmos. Bold, brilliant, and ahead of her time, Cecilia Payne deserves a place alongside Isaac Newton, Galileo, and Albert Einstein.

“Comics panel chapter openings feature winsome depictions of Payne-Gaposchkin, adding levity and visual energy to the somewhat dense narrative. It amounts to a celebratory account of hard-won achievements.”—Publishers Weekly

“This engaging biography of brilliant, groundbreaking twentieth-century American astronomer Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin combines traditional narrative with interstitial comic panels. . . . Rich back matter . . . helps bring this dedicated and awe-inspiring woman to life.”—Booklist

“[A]n intriguing introduction to an outstanding woman in a STEM career. A detailed biography sure to captivate young readers about an inspiring astronomer who could easily serve as a role model for science enthusiasts.”—School Library Journal