Anne Walker (astronomer)

Anne Walker (1911-1995) was a British-born New Zealand astronomer known for her extensive photometric studies of the southern sky, particularly her work on variable stars in the Magellanic Clouds.

Walker was born in England and received her education at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, graduating with a Master of Arts degree in mathematics and physics in 1934. In 1937, she emigrated to New Zealand and joined the staff of the Royal Society of New Zealand, working on geomagnetic research.

During World War II, Walker contributed to the war effort by performing calculations for the New Zealand military. After the war, she transitioned to astronomy, joining the Carter Observatory in Wellington in 1946.

Walker's research focused on photometry, the measurement of the brightness of stars. She used photographic plates to meticulously measure the magnitudes of thousands of stars in the southern hemisphere, creating valuable datasets for future astronomical research. Her most significant work involved the study of Cepheid variable stars and RR Lyrae stars in the Magellanic Clouds, the two dwarf galaxies orbiting the Milky Way. Her observations helped to refine the distance scale to these important galaxies, improving our understanding of the size and age of the universe.

Walker published numerous scientific papers throughout her career, contributing significantly to the field of stellar photometry. She retired from the Carter Observatory in 1977 but continued to be involved in astronomical research until her death in 1995. Her dedication to detailed and accurate astronomical measurements made her a highly respected figure in the New Zealand astronomical community and internationally.

Her work provided a fundamental basis for much of the later research done on stellar populations and distance determination in the Magellanic Clouds. She is remembered for her meticulous attention to detail and her significant contributions to Southern Hemisphere astronomy.