Founded on Nantucket in 1908 and named for Maria Mitchell, the first American woman astronomer, the Maria Mitchell Observatory combines scientific research, public stargazing, and education through two observatory sites. Its telescopes support year-round research, while its historic instruments and tours connect the public with astronomy. The observatory also preserves more than 8,000 wide-field glass photographic plates documenting observations from 1913 to 1995. For more than 50 years, it has offered summer astronomy and astrophysics research internships for undergraduates with National Science Foundation support. This blend of research and outreach has made it an important scientific institution on Nantucket, recognized nationally in 2009.