If you are a keen stargazer, you will know that many constellations derive their name from Greek mythology, particularly its vicious monsters and the men who felled them.
There is Hercules, a hero revered for his strength. Perseus, who famously slew the gorgon Medusa. And Orion, possibly the most recognisable constellation of all, forever poised to hurl his spear. Even those who have no interest in mythology will have heard of them.
These fictional males made a name for themselves through their heroic deeds, and their stories have lingered in our collective consciousness for thousands of years.
It’s All Greek to Me
The women of Greek mythology were not afforded such an opportunity. Out of the 88 modern constellations, only three are named after females. Virgo, the second largest constellation in the night sky, is commonly associated with the image of the Maiden and the goddess of purity, Astraea. However, the namesakes of the remaining two constellations are neither inspirational nor heroic. David Baumgartner, a journalist specialising in astronomy, agrees:
‘All these stories about men in the sky — pretty sexist I think,’ he says. ‘There are a few females up there [but they] don’t have the best reputation for being the most admired women in town.’
Cassiopeia, the famed W-shaped constellation, derives its name from the mythological figure of the same name. She was the Queen of Ethiopia, renowned for her beauty, and her husband presided over an affluent kingdom. The pair went on to have a daughter, Andromeda, whom the A-shaped constellation is named after, and whose legendary looks surpassed those of her mother. Vain Cassiopeia declared her daughter to be the prettiest being in existence, even more so than the gods. Her hubris incited the wrath of Poseidon, who plagued the once-prosperous city with floods and threats from a sea monster known as Cetus. Andromeda’s mother and father chained their daughter to a cliff and left her to be devoured, hoping this would appease the gods. But it wasn’t meant to be. The hero Perseus saved Andromeda using the head of Medusa to turn Cetus to stone.
Like many Greek tales, it is a tragic story which paints its heroines in an unfavourable light: a mother whose vanity endangers her child’s life and a daughter forever reduced to be a damsel in distress. It is a pity that the few constellations named after women carry such unsavoury characteristics and reinforce stereotypically female flaws.
Gender representation in other areas of astronomy is equally sparse. There are nearly 1600 craters dotting the moon’s surface, many of which honour the memories of renowned scientists like Einstein and Newton, or philosophers like Plato and Aristotle. Only 33 (or two per cent) are named after women, many of whom you will have never heard of. Elsewhere across our solar system, just 1.8 per cent and 11.8 per cent of craters on Mars and Mercury respectively honour women, while Venus is the only planet to be named after a female.
Modern Female Underrepresentation
Annie Lennox, a doctoral researcher at The Open University, sought to investigate the reason behind the obvious lack of planetary and lunar features named after women.
She found that the International Astronomical Union sets up task forces to propose and approve names based on their relevance within science. In 2023, Lennox reasoned that these guidelines ‘crystallise historic injustices,’ since for the greater part of history women were denied access to many scientific fields, and so could not rise to prominence in the way that male scientists could. Lennox is now campaigning to raise awareness of how these guidelines are biased towards men:
‘The crux of [my] argument is that weighing celebrity status — placing an emphasis on recognition and essentially prioritising fame over contributions — inherently disadvantages women,’ says Lennox.
Her findings also highlighted a tendency to give things ‘meaningless, arbitrary female-first names or the names of mythological goddesses’ rather than honouring real historical or modern women who could be of inspiration to young girls. This is deeply problematic. Without acknowledging the contribution of women in the fields of astrophysics and astronomy, we perpetuate the idea that the space sector is for men and men alone.
Evidence suggests that these stereotypes are preventing women from pursuing STEM subjects and careers. In 2023, women accounted for 11 per cent of astronauts globally. Currently, 21 per cent of the IAU’s members are female. And only 38 per cent of U.S. journalists who report on science are female. I could not even find similar data for the UK, but one of its most decorated space broadcasters, Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, admitted that she often felt ‘underestimated.’ The figures speak for themselves.
Are the Tides Turning?
The good news is that the tides are turning. In an attempt to amend past underrepresentation, Rita Schulz, a planetary scientist at the European Space Research and Technology Centre, has vowed that if her team has the chance to name a crater after a woman, they will do so. Meanwhile, spaceflight companies are making a considerable effort to get more women in their engineering rooms and the cockpits of their rockets. Despite only 36 per cent of NASA’s workforce being female, its Artemis III mission, which was named after the Greek goddess and feminist icon to ‘increase women’s participation in space exploration,’ is due to land the first woman on the moon later this year. Plus, Blue Origin recently made headlines when it announced that pop star Katy Perry, amongst others, would be part of the first all-female astronaut crew in April. But whether progress is happening quickly enough is certainly up for debate.
The ‘systemic underrepresentation and undervaluation of women,’ as Annie Lennox puts it, is arguably still dissuading women from aiming for the stars — literally. True gender equality spans beyond naming craters after women or recruiting the occasional female astronaut. Ordinary women need to feel the benefits. We need more female engineers to put us in space, and more female journalists who’ll write about their feats. We need more female teachers to inspire the next generation of astronomers and more female stargazers who dare dream of an entire universe beyond our atmosphere.
Progress towards a more equal future can only begin when we honour historical female astronomers as much as we do modern trailblazers. For me, writing this article has been a poignant reminder that Women’s History Month is not just about celebrating women’s contribution to society, but also about mourning those who could never reach their full potential, or those whose achievements have been lost to time.
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