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Vera Rubin

Vera Rubin

1928 CE2016 CE · Philadelphia

Vera Florence Cooper Rubin (; July 23, 1928 – December 25, 2016) was an American astronomer who pioneered work on galaxy rotation rates. She uncovered the discrepancy between the predicted and observed angular motion of galaxies by studying galactic rotation curves, the first evidence for the galaxy rotation problem, one key piece of evidence for dark matter. Measurements by other astronomers using 21 centimeter hydrogen line radio telescopes clinched the case. Honored during 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. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile is named in her honor. Her legacy is described by The New York Times as "ushering in a Copernican-scale change" in cosmological theory. Prominent theoretical physicist Lisa Randall and others have argued that Rubin was neglected for the Nobel Prize. Rubin spent her life advocating for women in science, and mentored aspiring female astronomers.

Adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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About Philadelphia

Philadelphia (modern Alaşehir, western Turkey), a city of ancient Lydia in Asia Minor. It was one of the seven churches of Revelation and a stop in Ignatius of Antioch's letters as he travelled to martyrdom.

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Influenced byGeorge GamowVera Rubin