ABSTRACT
Emma Phoebe Waterman, later E. Phoebe Waterman Haas (1882-1967) and known as 'Phoebe' – was Betty's oldest maternal aunt. She lived at a time when female US citizens were not allowed to vote. Phoebe spent her childhood on the frontier. It was a place absent of light pollution, where she would have been able to see the stars in a way that most people today could only imagine. Phoebe attended Vassar College, graduating with a bachelor's degree in astronomy in 1904. At Phoebe's time, Vassar was highly successful at placing their astronomy graduates into positions at observatories doing practical measurement work in astrophysics. These were contract positions for women with the title of 'Computer'. Furness suggested that Phoebe could do research in variable stars from her home. All Phoebe would need is a telescope. The observing could be done from Phoebe's backyard.
