Charlotte Kelly

Charlotte Kelly (August 31, 1897 - January 30, 1988) was a professional astronomer. She graduated from Wellsley College in 1919. Her first position was at the Observatory of the Univerity of Virginia's Leander McCormick Observatory. At the Observatory her work involved researching the distance of stars.

In Charlotte, Mrs. Kelly is best remembered as the Star Lady, in recognition of her great commitment to sharing her knowledge and love of astronomy with the community. She was a guiding force in the development of of the Charlotte Nature Museum's planetarium and the educational programs that it hosted. She became its first director. When she retired from the planetarium in 1969, the planetarium, now located at Discovery Place in Charlotte was named, in her honor, The Charlotte A. Kelly Planetarium.