Post by @AkaSci@fosstodon.org

Happy Birthday to Vera Rubin (July 23, 1928 – Dec 25, 2016), pioneering astronomer and passionate advocate for women in science.

Her research on galaxy rotation rates revolutionized our understanding of the universe by providing strong evidence for the existence of dark matter.

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1701066114
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vera_Rubin
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Portrait of Vera Rubin in 1989 with a portion of her collection of celestial globes, by photographer Mark Godfrey. Rubin had an avid interest in atlases, star charts, and globes. Her collection began when her astronomy professor at Vassar College offered her an old celestial globe that was about to be discarded.
Credit: Photograph by Mark Godfrey, courtesy of Carnegie Science — Portrait of Vera Rubin in 1989 with a portion of her collection of celestial globes, by photographer Mark Godfrey. Rubin had an avid interest in atlases, star charts, and globes. Her collection began when her astronomy professor at Vassar College offered her an old celestial globe that was about to be discarded. Credit: Photograph by Mark Godfrey, courtesy of Carnegie Science

Vera Rubin - Wikipedia

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1701066114

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AkaSci 🛰️

@AkaSci@fosstodon.org 1 hour ago

Rubin's research showed that the rotational speed (km/s) of sections of a galaxy stayed constant, i.e. flat, instead of slowing down with distance. This conflicted with calculations based on the known mass of galaxies.

Rubin's calculations showed that galaxies must contain at 5x to 10x more mass (dark matter halo) than can be observed directly based on the light emitted by ordinary matter.

Rubin deserved the Nobel Prize.

https://www.physics.rutgers.edu/~gawiser/689_f09/fadely_rubin83
https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/pdf/1978ApJ...225L.107R
#Science #Astronomy
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1. Slide from slide pkg by Rubin in 1983.
In this graph, the optical velocities of ionized gas clouds in the Andromeda galaxy (M31) measured in 1970 by Rubin and Ford, are shown as open and filled circles. Velocities from neutral hydrogen radio observations, measured by M.S. Roberts and R.N. Whitehurst in 1975, are shown as filled triangles and remain high far beyond the limits of the optical disc. This "flat curve" beyond the limits of the optical galaxy is evidence that dark matter is adding mass to the equation.

2. Graph from paper published in 1978.
Fig. 3.—Rotational velocities for seven galaxies, as a function of distance from nucleus. Curves have been smoothed to remove velocity
undulations across arms and small differences between major-axis velocities on each side of nucleus. Early-type galaxies consistently have
higher peak velocities than later types. — 1. Slide from slide pkg by Rubin in 1983. In this graph, the optical velocities of ionized gas clouds in the Andromeda galaxy (M31) measured in 1970 by Rubin and Ford, are shown as open and filled circles. Velocities from neutral hydrogen radio observations, measured by M.S. Roberts and R.N. Whitehurst in 1975, are shown as filled triangles and remain high far beyond the limits of the optical disc. This "flat curve" beyond the limits of the optical galaxy is evidence that dark matter is adding mass to the equation. 2. Graph from paper published in 1978. Fig. 3.—Rotational velocities for seven galaxies, as a function of distance from nucleus. Curves have been smoothed to remove velocity undulations across arms and small differences between major-axis velocities on each side of nucleus. Early-type galaxies consistently have higher peak velocities than later types.

https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/pdf/1978ApJ...225L.107R

https://www.physics.rutgers.edu/~gawiser/689_f09/fadely_rubin83

AkaSci 🛰️

@AkaSci@fosstodon.org 58 minutes ago

Here are a few inspiring quotes and pics of the late Vera Rubin.

“In a spiral galaxy, the ratio of dark-to-light matter is about a factor of ten. That's probably a good number for the ratio of our ignorance to knowledge. We're out of kindergarten, but only in about third grade.”

-- Vera Rubin in “A Century of Galaxy Spectroscopy,” The Astrophysical Journal, 451:419-428, 1995.

https://carnegiescience.edu/news/10-inspiring-quotes-astronomer-vera-rubin
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Vera Rubin posing at the eyepiece of the telescope at Vassar College Observatory in 1948.

Rubin earned her undergraduate degree from Vassar College that same year. She had been drawn to the institution by its distinguished history of educating women astronomers, beginning with the first female professor of astronomy, Maria Mitchell. Rubin continued her studies at Cornell University for her master’s and Georgetown University for her Ph.D.
Credit: Carnegie Science — Vera Rubin posing at the eyepiece of the telescope at Vassar College Observatory in 1948. Rubin earned her undergraduate degree from Vassar College that same year. She had been drawn to the institution by its distinguished history of educating women astronomers, beginning with the first female professor of astronomy, Maria Mitchell. Rubin continued her studies at Cornell University for her master’s and Georgetown University for her Ph.D. Credit: Carnegie Science

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AkaSci 🛰️

@AkaSci@fosstodon.org 54 minutes ago

“My life has been an interesting voyage. I became an astronomer because I could not imagine living on Earth and not trying to understand how the universe works.”

-- Vera Rubin in “An Interesting Voyage,” Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics, 49:1-28, 2011.

https://carnegiescience.edu/10-iconic-photographs-vera-rubin
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Vera Rubin with her homemade telescope.

Rubin's fascination with astronomy began in childhood as she watched the night sky from her bedroom window. She built her first telescope with her father’s help, ordering a small lens from Edmunds Scientific Co. and sourcing a free cardboard tube from a linoleum company. She lugged the large, unwieldy tube home on the bus from downtown, an early sign of the dedication that would define her lifelong pursuit of astronomy.
Credit: Carnegie Science — Vera Rubin with her homemade telescope. Rubin's fascination with astronomy began in childhood as she watched the night sky from her bedroom window. She built her first telescope with her father’s help, ordering a small lens from Edmunds Scientific Co. and sourcing a free cardboard tube from a linoleum company. She lugged the large, unwieldy tube home on the bus from downtown, an early sign of the dedication that would define her lifelong pursuit of astronomy. Credit: Carnegie Science

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AkaSci 🛰️

@AkaSci@fosstodon.org 46 minutes ago

“I insisted on working on problems outside the mainstream of astronomy so that I could work at my own pace and not be pressured by bandwagons.

I hope some of you will be able to devise your own paths through the complex sociology of science. Science is competitive, aggressive, demanding. It is also imaginative, inspiring, uplifting. You can do it, too.”

-- Vera Rubin, May 17, 1996, graduation address to UCB class of 1996.

https://www.themarginalian.org/index.php/2013/07/23/vera-rubin-berkeley-commencement-address/
#Science #STEM
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The Marginalian

Trailblazing Astronomer Vera Rubin on Science, Stereotypes, and Success

“We need senators who have studied physics and representatives who understand ecology.”

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