A female scientist's dazzling journey toward the stars

Lauren Gundersen, who was selected as the most performed playwright in the United States after Shakespeare, has published her masterpiece, "Silent Sky." This work is based on the true story of Henrietta Swan Leavitt (1868-1921), a female astronomer who worked at the Harvard Observatory in the early 20th century. Leavitt discovered the relationship between the brightness and period of Cepheid variable stars, opening the way for mankind to measure the distances to galaxies and the universe. This became the cornerstone of Hubble's theory of the expansion of the universe and modern astronomy, and is still used as one of the important distance measurement tools in astronomy to this day.
This is the moving story of a woman who, with endless passion and dedication, discovered the secrets of the universe through starlight in a time when she was not even allowed to touch a telescope because she was a woman.

Henrietta Heaven is above, they say.
'Pearl Cloud and Pearl Gate', it is also said like this.
I say this:
You don't know much about astronomy.
(The sun sets and night falls and it gets dark) The science of light is up there.
Far away, alone, among all things buried in the deepest darkness of the universe.
In the darkness, tens, hundreds of billions… (The first star appears.
Exceptions: One piano note is heard at the same time.
(Other stars appear and other sounds are heard) And I am the one who digs into the exceptions.
(The night sky suddenly brightens into daylight, and Margaret sneaks up on Henrietta and pinches her sister.) Huh? What are you doing?
--- pp.17-18

Henrietta Because Harvard offered me a job.
Observatory.
I'm doing real astronomy.
Since when did Sister Margaret start looking for a job?
Henrietta, from today.
Finally, this is a truly tremendous opportunity.
Harvard is recruiting mathematicians, especially for me?
Margaret Harvard to your sister?
--- p.19

Let's start with Henrietta.
Or just tell me where the telescope is and I'll take care of it.
Peter's telescope?
Henrietta (looking out the window) Is that over there? The Harvard Refracting Telescope.
Peter: Yes, but?
Henrietta is one of the largest telescopes in the world.
Peter, that's right, he's our great pride.
By the way, this is where the women… work.
Here inside.
Henrietta, could you give me a brief explanation?
Peter, we've got the photographic plates we took with the telescope? State-of-the-art technology, right? Take them to the ladies' department.
--- pp.30-31

The Henrietta star classification system? That's what Miss Cannon came up with?
Willamina, of course.
The sky was a mess until this guy sorted it out.
I wanted to number them by color, but Annie insisted on alphabetizing them by temperature?
Annie, stop?
Willamina OBAFGKM.
Henrietta (at the same time) OBAFGKM.

That's right, Willamina.

Henrietta, my goodness, you set the standard.
It's truly an honor.
You might laugh, but in every class I took, they made us memorize things using some weird mnemonic method, right?
--- p.41

Henrietta: Whoever you are, if I get married I won't be able to work and that's not an option for me.
My husband needs to be a higher being who can handle my work, and I'm not sure if our Mr. Shaw fits that bill.
Willamina or 'our' Mr. Shaw?
Henrietta No, that's not it?
Annie I agree.
Henrietta (lost in thought) But she's very persistent.
The gait, the gait is also cool.
(William I imitates Peter's actions)
Annie (to Will) Come here.
Willamina Meow?
Henrietta (in a tone of disapproval): What I'm saying is, like you two, work is my whole life.
All I need is work.
And Miss Cannon? This might be a bit presumptuous, but people like Peter Shaw come to visit,
--- p.59

Henrietta, what's wrong?
Peter New research has been published.
No exaggeration? This will change everything.
I wanted to let you know first.
--- p.140

Peter Henrietta just became the first person to measure the size of the universe.
(Exits with a smile.
between)
Did you know about Henrietta Peter?
Margaret: Okay.
Henrietta, everything from the beginning.
Margaret, that's right.
How could I not know that letters were being exchanged like that?
(between)
Henrietta, the older we get, the more we become like friends.
(Margaret smiles.
Henrietta takes her sister's hand.
between.
Annie bursts in, followed by Peter and Will.
I just read the letter from Hertz Sprung)
Annie, what did I just hear?
Peter I couldn't believe it either.
Of course, William and you wouldn't have believed it.
Peter, please don't be so hard on yourself.
Annie Henrietta was right!
--- pp.146-147

Henrietta (to the audience) Up the hill… just a few blocks from my house… across the yard I could see from my old desk… We happily infiltrated the restricted area that night.
I held Maji's hand.
Lean in close.
Hold your breath.
And see.
(Inhales) My heaven.
(Tada, the whole place is filled with starlight.
More than ever, Henrietta takes out her hearing aid and puts it down while Peter, Williamina, Annie, and Margaret slowly fade away.) Taking a moment to compose herself, she steps forward cautiously.
I look up at the sky.
In complete silence.
Now I know? Distance is just space and time, and for some… it's light.
I don't have time.
But the light has never forsaken me.
So I change form.
The following year… Annie gains the right to vote.
The following year, Hubble used my research to prove that this particular galaxy we live in is actually one of hundreds of billions of galaxies.

--- p.150