Frances W. Wright (1897–1989), a Harvard University astronomer, taught celestial navigation to U.S. Navy and Army officers enrolled in special courses during World War II. During more than half a century of research and teaching, Wright’s studies ranged from investigating specks of cosmic dust called spherules to calculating the brightness of galaxies and developing systematic efforts to observe comets and meteors.

Her special interest was celestial navigation, and she wrote four books on sailing by the stars, including Celestial Navigation, 2nd Edition, and Learn to Navigate by the Tutorial System Developed at Harvard. Wright also contributed to Navigation: Journal of the Institute of Navigation and was a member of the American Astronomical Society, The Meteorical Society, and the Institute of Navigation.