Elizabeth Brown (1830-1899), English astronomer. Brown, one of many amateur astronomers in 19th-century Britain, taught herself the principles of science. She began observing sunspots, at first projecting the sun's image onto white cardboard before acquiring a refractor. She also went on several voyages to observe solar eclipses. She was instrumental in founding the British Astronomical Association, which, unlike the Royal Astronomical Society, accepted women at the time.