Cambridge and the Harvard observatory
Payne entered Newnham College, Cambridge, in 1919 and moved to Harvard College Observatory in 1923. Her thesis, Stellar Atmospheres, appeared in 1925; Radcliffe College awarded her doctorate.
Interpreting stellar spectra
Applying Saha’s ionization theory and calculations of spectral intensities, she related observed lines to temperature and ionization. Her results indicated unexpectedly abundant hydrogen and helium. Following objections from Henry Norris Russell, the thesis treated those abundances cautiously; Russell’s independent work in 1929 supported them.
References: [1]
Research and professorship
She subsequently studied variable stars with Sergei Gaposchkin and other colleagues. In 1956 she became a full professor of astronomy through Harvard’s regular faculty promotion process, after decades without a comparable formal appointment.
References: [2]