Dies Vera Rubin, the astronomer who was rejected at the university and who helped discover the dark matter – BBC World

Image caption Rubin discovered that the stars move faster at the edges of galaxies, and this helped to the development of the theory of dark matter.

“A giant has died’.”

Thus defined the astrobiólogo David Grinspoon on Twitter at Vera Rubin, the astronomer, whose pioneering work in the rotational rates of the galaxies led to the discovery of the theory of dark matter.

Rubin died Sunday at age 88, in Princeton, New Jersey (U.S.), as confirmed by his son.

Allan Rubin said that his mother died of natural causes, AP reported.

His studies earned him numerous honors, including being the second astronomer woman elected to the National Academy of Sciences of the united States.

But many questioned why he never was awarded a Nobel Prize.

Image copyright Twitter – @DRFUNKYSPOON

Image caption David Grinspoon, astrobiólogo and writer, he published in Twitter: “Oh no! a giant has died. The great astronomer Vera Rubin, who discovered dark matter. RIP”.

Image copyright Twitter – @dudedarkmatter

Image caption Stacy McGaugh, an astrophysicist and cosmologist wrote: “Deeply saddened to hear of the death of a great scientist, beloved mentor, and dear friend, Vera Rubin”.

In 1974, Rubin discovered that stars at the edges of galaxies were moving faster than expected.

The calculations of gravity using only visible matter in the galaxies showed that the outer stars should move more slowly.

in order To reconcile their observations with the law of gravity, scientists proposed that there was matter that we cannot see, and they called dark matter.

The dark matter is a type not identified of matter that comprises approximately 27% of the mass and energy in the observable universe.

Obstacles being a woman

The interest of Vera Rubin for astronomy began when he was young and grew up with the support of his father, who helped her to build a telescope.

Your father took her to meetings of amateur astronomers, according to the profile of the American Museum of Natural History.

it Was the only specialist in astronomy which graduated from the prestigious women’s university Vassar in 1948.

Image copyright AP

Image caption Vera Rubin did not give up when it was rejected at the University of Princeton for being a woman.

When he sought to enroll as a graduate student at Princeton, she was told that women were not allowed to enter in the astronomy program of postgraduate studies of the university, a policy that was not abolished until 1975.

Then it was presented at Cornell University, where he studied physics. Then went to Georgetown University, where he obtained his phd in 1954.

he later worked at the Carnegie Institute of Washington, and in 1993 was awarded the National Medal of Sciences of the united States.

it Was a star among stars.