Vera Rubin
Vera Rubin | |
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Rubin in 1974, measuring spectra at the Carnegie Institution in Washington, D.C. | |
| Born | Vera Florence Cooper July 23, 1928 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | December 25, 2016 (aged 88) Princeton, New Jersey, U.S. |
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Robert Joshua Rubin
(m. 1948; died 2008) |
| Children | 4 |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy |
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| Thesis | Fluctuations in the Space Distribution of the Galaxies (1954) |
| Doctoral advisor | George Gamow |
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| Part of a series on |
| Physical cosmology |
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Vera Florence Cooper Rubin (/ˈruːbɪn/; July 23, 1928 – December 25, 2016) was an American astronomer who pioneered work on galaxy rotation rates.[1][2] She uncovered the discrepancy between the predicted and observed angular motion of galaxies by studying galactic rotation curves. Her work on the galaxy rotation problem produced the first widely accepted evidence for the existence of dark matter.[3]
Honored throughout her lifetime for her work, she received the Bruce Medal, the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society, and the National Medal of Science, among others.[4] The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile is named in her honor.[5][6] Her legacy is described by The New York Times as "ushering in a Copernican-scale change" in cosmological theory.[1] Prominent theoretical physicist Lisa Randall and others have argued that Rubin was neglected for the Nobel Prize, perhaps because she was a woman in science.[7][8][9][10]
Rubin spent her life advocating for women in science, and mentored aspiring female astronomers.[4]
- ^ a b Overbye, Dennis (December 27, 2016). "Vera Rubin, 88, Dies; Opened Doors in Astronomy, and for Women". The New York Times. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
- ^ Pinkerton, Byrd; Hassenfeld, Noam (August 17, 2021). "Astronomers were skeptical about dark matter – until Vera Rubin came along: She built a bullet-proof case for exploring the concept". Vox. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
- ^ de Swart, Jaco; Bertone, Gianfranco; van Dongen, Jeroen (2017). "How dark matter came to matter". Nature Astronomy. 1 (59): 0059. arXiv:1703.00013. Bibcode:2017NatAs...1E..59D. doi:10.1038/s41550-017-0059. S2CID 119092226.
- ^ a b "1996 November 8 meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society". The Observatory. 117: 129–135. June 1997. Bibcode:1997Obs...117..129.
- ^ Falk, Dan. "This Revolutionary New Observatory Will Locate Threatening Asteroids and Millions of Galaxies: Beginning next year, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory will use the world's largest digital camera to give us a whole new view of the universe". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ^ Domonoske, Camila (December 26, 2016). "Vera Rubin, Who Confirmed Existence Of Dark Matter, Dies At 88". NPR News. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
- ^ Randall, Lisa (January 4, 2017). "Why Vera Rubin Deserved a Nobel". The New York Times. ProQuest 1855631918. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
- ^ scientificinquirer (January 17, 2023). "REBEL, REBEL: Vera Rubin was overlooked by the Nobel Committee but revered by the rest of us". scientificinquirer.com. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
- ^ Feltman, Rachel (December 27, 2016). "In memory of Vera Rubin, the woman the Nobel Prize forgot". Popular Science. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
- ^ Gamillo, Elizabeth (December 25, 2023). "Vera Rubin: Biography, history of the trailblazing astronomer". Astronomy. Retrieved March 22, 2025.