Vera Rubin

Vera Florence Cooper Rubin

1928–2016

Vera Rubin made important contributions to the understanding of the rotation and distribution of galaxies. She received her bachelor's degree in astronomy from Vassar College in 1948 and her PhD from Cornell University in 1954.

She is best known for her work on galaxy rotation curves, which showed that the outer regions of galaxies rotate at speeds that are much faster than would be expected based on the visible matter alone. This finding provided strong evidence for the existence of dark matter, which is thought to make up a large portion of the mass in the universe.

Rubin was also the first woman to be appointed to the staff of the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, and she was the first woman to be elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1964.

Rubin died on December 25, 2016, at the age of 88.