Margaret T. Alcott was an astronomy student in the early 1900s. According to Whitmore Rare Books, "...Alcott was studying at an exciting moment in the history of astronomy. Though the field continued to be heavily male dominated, women like Annie Jump Cannon, Henrietta Swan Leavitt, Phoebe Waterman, and Mary Proctor were making cutting edge discoveries and distributing their findings. These accomplishments shaped the lessons Alcott took, as she records the variable brightness of stars throughout the months (Leavitt, Period Lumosity), considers spectra (Cannon), and makes use of telescope and telescopic photos to look at surfaces (Waterman and Proctor). While Alcott records verbal observations on the appearance and movements of celestial bodies, she also uses geometry to calculate their movements and placement relative to each other and to the Earth...[this manuscript was] created at a time when women were increasingly gaining access to the field of astronomy, and were making a push to have their contributions recognized."