Beatrice Tinsley: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

In 1981, while working at Yale, Tinsley contracted cancer and died that same year. She was cremated with her ashes buried in the college. She completed her last notable work, an article that was published by the Astrophysical Journal, 10 days before her death. Toward the end of her life, she had become paralyzed by an aggressive brain tumor, according to her entry at Encyclopedia.com. A separate online profile details Tinsley’s belief that the trauma she felt in leaving her children triggered her cancer.

3. She Was a Founding Member of New Zealand’s National Youth Orchestra

nt was clear from a young age. Tinsley was a founding member of New Zealand’s National Youth Choir. She was born in Chester in England in 1941, but her family moved to the southern hemisphere shortly after World War II. Music was always a release for Tinsley. She never wanted to bore her friends and family with her work and instead would talk up her violin playing. During times of depression, she was known to play the instrument alone.

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4. She Has a Mountain Named After Her in Her Homelandnt was clear from a young age. Tinsley was a founding member of New Zealand’s National Youth Choir. She was born in Chester in England in 1941, but her family moved to the southern hemisphere shortly after World War II. Music was always a release for Tinsley. She never wanted to bore her friends and family with her work and instead would talk up her violin playing. During times of depression, she was known to play the instrument alone.

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4. She Has a Mountain Named After Her in Her HomelandMount Tinsley in New Zealand. (Wikipedia)

In December 2010 Tinsley was celebrated by her homeland when a mountain in Fiordland’s Kepler Mountains, which are named after fellow astronomer Johannes Kepler, was named Mount Tinsley. That’s just one of the honors posthumously afforded to her. Since 1986, the American Astronomical Society has awarded the Beatrice Tinsley Prize, which “recognizes an outstanding research contribution to astronomy or astrophysics, of an exceptionally creative or innovative character.” The astronomy degree program at the University of Canterbury, her alma-mater, is conducted inside the Beatrice Tinsley Institute.

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5. Despite Tinsley’s Trailblazing, the American Association of University Women Says Astronomy Is Still ‘Male Dominated’Celebrity astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. (Getty)

In a feature on Tinsley at the website for the American Association of University Women, the field of astronomy is still described as male dominated. During her time at the University of Texas, around 2 percent of the faculty were female; in 2010, that number had risen to 19 percent, up from 14 percent in 2003.