The minor planet 7804 Boesgaard was named after her in 1998,[1] and in 2019, she received the American Astronomical Society's highest award, the Henry Norris Russell Lectureship.

To make ends meet, the family moved in with Ann's grandmother, Estelle Barnes Davis, and great-aunt, Aurelia Huntington.

[3] Elizabeth Merchant had studied mathematics at Vassar College for two years before she was married, which enabled her to get a job in the accounting department at Eastman Kodak after the divorce to support daughters Ann and Carolyn.

Ann wanted to be an astronaut, but her gender, poor eyesight, and lack of test pilot experience made that dream impossible.

[5] After graduating from UC Berkeley, Boesgaard applied for a post doctoral Carnegie Fellowship to work at the Mount Wilson and Palomar Observatories in Southern California, but she was denied.

[4] She discovered that as galaxies age, the amount of heavy elements increases, thereby allowing astronomers to date stars based on their metal content.