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Topic: Vera Rubin, dark matter discoverer (1928-2016)
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Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 51202 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 12-26-2016 04:46 PM
Carnegie Institution for Science release Vera Rubin Who Confirmed 'Dark Matter' DiesRenowned astrophysicist and National Medal of Science awardee Vera Rubin passed away in Princeton, N.J., the evening of Dec. 25, 2016, at the age of 88. Rubin confirmed the existence of dark matter — the invisible material that makes up more than 90 percent of the mass in the universe. She was a retired staff astronomer at the Carnegie Institution's Department of Terrestrial Magnetism in Washington, D.C. "Vera Rubin was a national treasure as an accomplished astronomer and a wonderful role model for young scientists," remarked Carnegie president Matthew Scott. "We are very saddened by this loss." In the 1960s, Rubin's interest in how stars orbit their galactic centers led her and colleague Kent Ford to study the Andromeda galaxy, M31, a nearby spiral. The two scientists wanted to determine the distribution of mass in M31 by looking at the orbital speeds of stars and gas at varying distances from the galactic center. They expected the speeds to conform to Newtonian gravitational theory, whereby an object farther from its central mass orbits slower than those closer in. To their surprise, the scientists found that stars far from the center traveled as fast as those near the center. After observing dozens more galaxies by the 1970s, Rubin and colleagues found that something other than the visible mass was responsible for the stars' motions. Each spiral galaxy is embedded in a "halo" of dark matter — material that does not emit light and extends beyond the optical galaxy. They found it contains 5 to 10 times as much mass as the luminous galaxy. As a result of Rubin's groundbreaking work, it has become apparent that more than 90 percent of the universe is composed of this invisible material. The first inkling that dark matter existed came in 1933 when Swiss astrophysicist Fritz Zwicky of Caltech proposed it. But it was not until Rubin's work that dark matter was confirmed. Besides her remarkable scientific contributions, as noted by colleague Neta Bahcall of Princeton University: "Vera was an amazing scientist and an amazing human being. A pioneering astronomer, the 'mother' of flat rotation curves and dark-matter, a champion of women in science, a mentor and role model to generations of astronomers." She was an ardent feminist, advocating for women observers at the Palomar Observatory, women at the Cosmos Club, Princeton, and she even advised the Pope to have more women on his committee. Rubin was born July 23, 1928. She arrived at Carnegie's Department of Terrestrial Magnetism in Washington, D.C., in 1965. A Washington native, she graduated from Calvin Coolidge High School and went on to receive her B.A. from Vassar College. She obtained her M.A. from Cornell University and her Ph.D. from Georgetown University, where she then taught for 10 years. Rubin was the first woman allowed to observe at the Palomar Observatory. In 1993 Vera Rubin received the National Medal of Science — the nation's highest scientific award. She was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1981, and in 1996 became the first woman to receive the Royal Astronomical Society's Gold Medal since Caroline Hershel, who was awarded the prize in 1828. Rubin's husband Robert J. Rubin, a mathematician and physicist, died in 2008. The couple's four children all acquired Ph.Ds. in the sciences or mathematics: David Rubin is a geologist; Judy Young, who died in 2014, was an astronomer; Karl Rubin is a mathematician; and Allan Rubin is a geologist. |
GACspaceguy Member Posts: 2988 From: Guyton, GA Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 12-26-2016 05:01 PM
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rgarner Member Posts: 1444 From: London, United Kingdom Registered: Mar 2012
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posted 12-26-2016 05:24 PM
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star51L Member Posts: 522 From: Vilano Beach, FL, USA Registered: Aug 2002
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posted 12-26-2016 05:41 PM
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David Carey Member Posts: 1003 From: Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 12-26-2016 06:13 PM
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dss65 Member Posts: 1344 From: Sandpoint, ID, USA Registered: Mar 2003
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posted 12-26-2016 06:22 PM
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jasonelam Member Posts: 694 From: Monticello, KY USA Registered: Mar 2007
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posted 12-26-2016 06:37 PM
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Jurg Bolli Member Posts: 1202 From: Albuquerque, NM Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 12-26-2016 07:17 PM
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randy Member Posts: 2622 From: West Jordan, Utah USA Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 12-26-2016 08:42 PM
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Kite Member Posts: 1098 From: Northampton UK Registered: Nov 2009
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posted 12-27-2016 03:38 AM
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mode1charlie Member Posts: 1428 From: Honolulu, HI Registered: Sep 2010
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posted 12-27-2016 04:50 AM
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Glint Member Posts: 1116 From: New Windsor, Maryland USA Registered: Jan 2004
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posted 12-27-2016 10:18 AM
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Headshot Member Posts: 1245 From: Vancouver, WA, USA Registered: Feb 2012
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posted 12-27-2016 11:31 AM
A giant has left the stage.Rubin's research contributions and struggle against discrimination of female scientists are well documented in Overbye's brilliant, yet curiously named, Lonely Hearts of the Cosmos. Her papers published in the late '60s and early '70s were clear, concise, understated yet shattering. |
Spoon Member Posts: 155 From: Cumbria, UK Registered: May 2006
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posted 12-28-2016 04:03 AM
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gareth89 Member Posts: 584 From: Ireland Registered: May 2014
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posted 12-28-2016 05:34 AM
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JohnPaul56 Member Posts: 307 From: Montclair, NJ, USA Registered: Apr 2010
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posted 12-28-2016 10:30 AM
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Wehaveliftoff Member Posts: 2343 From: Registered: Aug 2001
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posted 12-31-2016 01:36 PM
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RobertB Member Posts: 274 From: Israel Registered: Nov 2012
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posted 12-31-2016 11:30 PM
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alcyone Member Posts: 170 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Sep 2010
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posted 01-04-2017 09:30 AM
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Gilbert Member Posts: 1494 From: Carrollton, GA USA Registered: Jan 2003
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posted 01-04-2017 11:10 AM
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capoetc Member Posts: 2346 From: McKinney TX (USA) Registered: Aug 2005
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posted 01-04-2017 06:47 PM
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Delta7 Member Posts: 1740 From: Bluffton IN USA Registered: Oct 2007
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posted 01-05-2017 08:58 AM
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YankeeClipper Member Posts: 632 From: Dublin, Ireland Registered: Mar 2011
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posted 01-16-2017 06:29 AM
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Philip Member Posts: 6226 From: Brussels, Belgium Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 01-17-2017 03:28 AM
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mode1charlie Member Posts: 1428 From: Honolulu, HI Registered: Sep 2010
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posted 01-17-2017 04:51 AM
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