An astronomer who produced the first strong evidence of the existence of dark matter died at the age of 88, the Associated Press reports. Vera Rubin died Sunday night of natural causes, according to her son Allan. Rubin was born in Philadelphia on July 23, 1928 and had been living in Princeton, New Jersey.
Rubin pioneered research on the way galaxies rotate. Her discovery that galaxies don’t rotate as predictedled to the theory of dark matter — named so because it can’t be seen but can be detected by how it distorts the behavior of matter such as planets, stars and galaxies, according to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Dark matter makes up approximately 27 percent of the universe, according to NASA, compared to about 5 percent of “normal” matter (the rest is “dark energy”). Scientists are more sure of what dark matter is not than what it actually is. Rubin earned many honors for her scientific achievements, including the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society and the National Medal of Science.She was the second female astronomer to be elected to the National Academy of Sciences, the AP reports. Rubin did not, however, win a Nobel Prize for her achievements, though many believe she deserves tht honor for her mark on history. Many within the scientific community took to Twitter on Monday to remember Rubin and her important work.
In Cosmos – Ep13 “Unafraid of the Dark” we explore her pioneering work on Dark Matter in galaxies. RIP Vera Rubin (1928-2016)
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) December 26, 2016
Every time I give a talk on dark matter, I emphasize #VeraRubin‘s pioneering work. Wasn’t 1st to suggest DM, but was 1st to widely convince.
— Katie Mack (@AstroKatie) December 26, 2016
RIP Vera Rubin. Her work on galactic rotation revealed a fundamental problem, is strong evidence for Dark Matter.https://t.co/KdhjdggwVT pic.twitter.com/mITLeNqYyt
— Robert McNees (@mcnees) December 26, 2016
For Vera Rubin, who was denied her Nobel, who invented my field, who treated me like I had a brain, who died today. https://t.co/MVXYI5Ya6p pic.twitter.com/xUyGsgphp2
— Dr. Chanda ?? (@IBJIYONGI) December 26, 2016
Rest in peace, Vera Rubin. July 23, 1928 – December 26, 2016. pic.twitter.com/JHGRf5869W
— Perimeter Institute (@Perimeter) December 26, 2016
Thank you for bringing the dark to light; Vera Rubin, a pioneer of the theory for dark matter, has died.https://t.co/F2NPIzmiPc pic.twitter.com/Q7hmsUOoZW
— The Rogue Astronaut (@therogue_astro) December 26, 2016
