Vera Rubin: A Life

by Jacqueline Mitton, Simon Mitton, Susan Jocelyn Bell Burnell (Foreword)

The first biography of a pioneering scientist who made significant contributions to our understanding of dark matter and championed the advancement of women in science.

One of the great lingering mysteries of the universe is dark matter. Scientists are not sure what it is, but most believe it's out there, and in abundance. The astronomer who finally convinced many of them was Vera Rubin. When Rubin died in 2016, she was regarded as one of the most influential astronomers of her era. Her research on the rotation of spiral galaxies was groundbreaking, and her observations contributed significantly to the confirmation of dark matter, a most notable achievement.

In Vera Rubin: A Life, prolific science writers Jacqueline Mitton and Simon Mitton provide a detailed, accessible overview of Rubin's work, showing how she leveraged immense curiosity, profound intelligence, and novel technologies to help transform our understanding of the cosmos. But Rubin's impact was not limited to her contributions to scientific knowledge. She also helped to transform scientific practice by promoting the careers of women researchers. Not content to be an inspiration, Rubin was a mentor and a champion. She advocated for hiring women faculty, inviting women speakers to major conferences, and honoring women with awards that were historically the exclusive province of men.

Rubin's papers and correspondence yield vivid insights into her life and work, as she faced down gender discrimination and met the demands of family and research throughout a long and influential career. Deftly written, with both scientific experts and general readers in mind, Vera Rubin is a portrait of a woman with insatiable curiosity about the universe who never stopped asking questions and encouraging other women to do the same.

Genres: Science, Biography, Astronomy, Nonfiction, History, Physics, Historical

320 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2021

About the author

For more information, please see http://www.answers.com/topic/jacqueli...

Reviews

[Jorge Zuluaga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emocionante biografía de una de las más destacadas astrofísicas del siglo XX. Contiene una buena cantidad de anécdotas, lecciones de vida, personales y profesionales, excelentes datos curiosos e históricos sobre personajes relacionados y mejor aún, al ser escrita por profesionales de la astronomía, tiene un buen contenido astrofísico.

Hace poco, con motivos de la inminente primera luz del Observatorio Vera Rubin en Chile, preparé una sencilla charla sobre la profesora Cooper-Rubin que ofrecí en el Planetario de Medellín.

Los pocos datos que conseguí sobre la vida de esta astrofísica (no habían muchos en línea, lamentablemente) me llamaron mucho la atención. Algo sabía ya de la vida de Cooper-Rubin, pero está sencilla introducción despertó finalmente mi curiosidad por encontrar lo que pudiera sobre ella.

Fue una casualidad que por los mismos días me encontrará esta maravillosa y completa biografía entre los estantes de mi librería local favorita (la librería Grammata en Medellín); Grammata es quizás la única librería que comercializa los textos de la editorial independiente Shackleton en Medellín -que publicó en 2022 la versión que leí-. Así que ni corto, ni perezoso compre el libro pero solo hasta ahora, que se presentó otra vez la necesidad de hablar de la vida de Cooper-Rubin en un curso de Astrofísica Galáctica que estoy dictando, lo devore sin demora.

El libro está muy bien organizado y bien escrito; además es agradable de leer. La parte que narra los primeros años de formación de Cooper-Rubin puede resultar pesada para quién no conozca con anterioridad algo de la vida de la profesora o para quien no esté muy interesado en esos aspectos más personales.

Mientras leía esta parte confirmé una intuición que creo es más común de lo que imagino, y es esa de que no todas las grandes personalidades de la historia de las ciencias han tenido vidas dignas de un drama griego; que muchas de ellas, como es el caso de la joven Vera Cooper, fueron personas comunes y corrientes, que tuvieron vidas sin grandes sobresaltos, sin grandes perdidas o traumas, como a veces pensamos es la vida de la mayoría de las personas que cambian el mundo. Sobre esto, creo que no es exagerado decir que alrededor de los grandes personajes de la Historia se ha creado una mitología a veces un poco exagerada y que muchas veces esperamos leer en sus biografías, traumáticas infancias o juventudes, truculentas historias familiares, tormentosas historias de amor o desamor o relaciones tóxicas con personas de mayor o menor autoridad. Pues bien, poco de eso se encontrarán en la biografía de Jacqueline y Simon Mitton o en la vida de la profesora Cooper-Rubin. Afortunadamente.

La "segunda" parte (que comienza en el capítulo "La llamada de la cúpula"), que está dedicada a su trabajo ya como astrónoma doctorada, a sus primeros descubrimientos, a sus obstáculos al intentar realizar hacer una tarea, las observaciones astronómicas directamente con los telescopios profesionales, que estaba normalmente encargada a astrónomos varones y los descubrimientos que le han valido el aprecio imperecedero en la comunidad científica, resulta más emocionante.

A mis estudiantes de astrofísica, por ejemplo, les recomiendo leer los 3 capítulos "Aventuras en Andrómeda", "Una luz brillante sobre la materia oscura" y "El universo dinámico" que creo son los más excitantes de toda la biografía y además los que tienen el mayor contenido científico. Además, en estos capítulos están los mejores ejemplos -al menos en lo que respecta al trabajo profesional- que nos ofrece la vida de la profesora Cooper-Rubin a todas las personas que hacemos ciencia.

¿Por qué me refiero a la profesora Cooper-Rubin de esa manera y no llamándola como todo el mundo simplemente Vera Rubin?.

En primer lugar, por respeto. De la misma manera que hablamos de Hubble o de Shapley y no de Edwin o Harlow, o de Edwin Hubble o Harlow Shapley, creo que es importante acostumbrarnos a llamar a las grandes astrónomas del pasado usando sus apellidos: Cooper-Rubin, Bell, Herschel.

En segundo lugar, porque el apellido Rubin es el apellido de la familia de su esposo, el también científico Robert Rubin. Si bien comprendí en esta biografía que Bob Rubin (como le llamaban familiarmente) fue un gran compañero de vida para Vera Cooper, que le apoyo y le ayudo como pocos hombres hemos ayudado y apoyado a nuestras compañeras, me sigue pareciendo bastante injusto que el nombre de las mujeres en el mundo anglosajón deba cambiar por el de la familia de sus esposos.

Estoy seguro que la profesora Cooper-Rubin no tuvo nunca ningún problema en hacerlo -aunque firmaba sus manuscritos como Vera C. Rubin lo que me da a entender que tenía una cierta resistencia a abandonar el nombre de su familia- pero creo que lo más justo es que los demás recordemos que antes de ser Rubin fue Cooper (que algunos dirán es el apellido de su abuelo así que quedamos como en las mismas... ¡pero no!).

No puedo terminar esta reseña sin mencionar el aspecto por el que la profesor Cooper-Rubin debería ser recordada tanto como el reconocido hecho de haber apuntalado la existencia de la materia oscura sobre pruebas empíricas irrefutables (un descubrimiento por el cuál lamentablemente no recibió el premio Nobel de Física, como debería haberlo hecho).

Me refiero al hecho de ser una de las más notable abanderadas de la igualdad de oportunidades para las mujeres en el mundo de las ciencias. También al hecho de haber sido siempre una profesora capaz de impulsar con interés genuino las carreras de sus estudiantes, de todos los géneros y orígenes, dando prioridad sobre las de aquellas personas que sabían tendrían menos oportunidades sin su apoyo comprometido. Las anécdotas que leemos en el libro de los Mitton, y que nos cuentan como la Cooper-Rubin obligó a los editores del Astronomical Journal a publicar uno de sus trabajos más importantes incluyendo entre los coautores a estudiantes de pregrado, o como se quejó de la poca presencia de mujeres en eventos a los que era invitada o entre las personas resaltadas en alguna premiación de prestigio, son un verdadero ejemplo para quiénes trabajamos en ciencia.

Mi admiración por Vera Cooper-Rubin solo se ha multiplicado leyendo esta biografía. Espero seguir hablando de ella con mejores fundamentos en mis clases y charlas. Considero además que está es una biografía que deberían leer las personas, hombres y mujeres, que se están formando hoy como profesionales de la astronomía y así intentaré que lo hagan aquellas con las que tenga contacto.

[Nicole Simovski · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book about a true scientific pioneer. Wonderfully written, engaging, and enlightening. Highly recommend.

[Wendelle]

A wonderful, definitive biography of Dr. Vera Rubin, the leading astronomer who empirically established the existence of dark matter through her work on galaxy rotation curves, and who worked as a staunch advocate of women in science.

[Jessica Tennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does a great job with the astronomy! Really a joy to read overall. The middle third or so becomes suddenly uninterested in Rubin as a person which was disappointing and also sometimes the chapters would list events out of chronological order which confused me

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over the course of a long and productive career, Vera Rubin proved a pioneer in a number of important respects. As an astronomer, she was one of the first to study spiral galaxies, and her work helped convince scientists of the existence of dark matter. As a woman living in America in the mid-20th century, she forged a career in the sciences at a time when few women did so – and even fewer of whom did so while married and raising a family. To have done either was noteworthy. To have done both was truly remarkable.

To tell the story of Rubin’s life properly it is important to incorporate both of these achievements into it. And this is what Jacqueline and Simon Mitton do in their biography of the astronomer. As accomplished astronomers and scientific authors in their own right, they bring to it both their shared expertise in the subject and their experience with explaining it in a way that is accessible to the lay reader. Both skills are on full display in their retelling of Rubin’s contributions and the odds she overcame in order to make them.

Why Rubin became an astronomer, as the Mittons explain, was entirely due to her sister Ruth’s choice of beds. When the Rubin family moved into their new home in Washington D.C. in 1939, Ruth’s choice of the bed next to the wall left Vera with the one by the window. Staring at the night sky sparked Vera’s curiosity, leading her to embark upon her own amateur explorations. Such was her determination that she plowed through the obstacles so common to women interested in science – the discouragement of a high school physics instructor, the challenges of attending college in an era when most women didn’t, the expectation of many of the professionals whom she encountered that she would give up on her career once she got married. Even when Rubin did get married and had four children, this imposed only a pause on her path towards becoming an astronomer.

One of the factors working in Rubin’s favor was the growing support given to astronomy after the Second World War. Thanks to it, she was able to find part-time employment working on federally funded research projects to observe solar activity. Yet Rubin’s interests extended far beyond the Solar System, as her passion was for understanding galaxies themselves. It was when she gained a post at the Carnegie Institution of Washington that Rubin was able at last to focus on her passion for observational astronomy. Over the next several years Rubin studied galactic expansion and the rotation of galaxies, with her calculations on the latter subsequently providing the first evidence of dark matter.

Not only do the Mitton’s description of Rubin’s scientific work help to understand what she accomplished, but the role she played in helping us to better understand the universe. It is the sheer scale of this which probably renders it her greatest achievement, which is not to diminish Rubin’s considerable activism (especially in her later years) for women’s equality in the sciences. Either achievement justifies her biography; taken together they make for a account of an accomplished life that is well worth reading.

[Ricardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vera Cooper Rubin es justamente famosa por su trabajo en curvas de rotación de galaxias espirales, generalmente tomada como la evidencia más clara para la existencia de la materia oscura. La historia, tanto la de la vida y carrera de Rubin, así como la interpretación de las curvas de rotación, da para mucho más que eso, y esta biografía le hace justicia a ambas.

La historia de Vera Rubin se aleja muchísimo de la narrativa tradicional del genio solitario y torturado. Al contrario, su vida y carrera son profundamente relatable. Su tesis doctoral no cambió la historia de la física como la de Cecilia Payne (cf. What Stars are Made of: The Life of Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin), ni fue un prodigio de la astrofísica como Chandrasekhar (c.f. Chandra: A Biography of S. Chandrasekhar).  Es mas, ni siquiera le gustaba mucho la fisica! Algo que la biografía deja claro es que el avance científico nunca se hace solo. Si bien mucha gente le puso obstáculos en el camino, en definitiva fueron más los que la ayudaron: sus padres y su esposo Bob en toda la crianza de sus 4 hijos; y los distintos mentores y colaboradores a lo largo de su carrera, con especial énfasis en la figura de Kent Ford, el inventor de la cámara y espectrógrafo con que Rubin hizo sus descubrimientos más famosos, y con quien escribió varias decenas de papers. It takes a village.

Algo que se agradece un montón, es que además de relatar minuciosamente sus investigaciones en dinámica de galaxias espirales, también otorga una descripción bastante detallada de todos los campos en que Rubin incursionó: estructura a gran escala, la dinámica de grupos compactos, counter-rotating cores, SMBHs. Incluso aquellos tópicos en que ella solo fue asistente de investigación al comienzo de su carrera.

La biografía además se aleja completamente de una hagiografía, y no se arredra en mencionar episodios que la misma Rubin omitió en sus semblanzas autobiográficas (e.g. Bright Galaxies, Dark Matters ), ni en mencionar los momentos en que ella tal vez fue más políticamente correcta que la situación ameritaba.

Como justo hoy me toco referar un paper, no puedo dejar de criticar una omisión importantísima, quizás la única que comete este libro. Las curvas de rotación plana de galaxias espirales no son necesariamente evidencia de materia oscura, sino que alternativamente pueden indicar que la gravedad no se comporta como creemos. La misma Vera Rubin se inclinaba más por esta última alternativa en sus años postreros. Entre descubrir una partícula subatómica nueva o demostrar que Einstein estaba equivocado, que preferirian ustedes? 🙂

Para finalizar les dejo una foto de la conferencia que se hizo en su honor para su cumpleanos numero 81. Algunos la reconocerán en la primera fila, pero solo los verdaderamente iniciados sabrán donde aparezco yo n_n

[Neha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazing astronomer and a champion of woman of science. Reducing a star because the middle of the book got a bit tedious with too many names to remember and follow and almost lost interest to continue. Wish it were more concise.

[Jean-René Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vera Rubin, A Life
Jacqueline Mitton and Simon Mitton, Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2021

by Jean-René Roy


Vera Rubin was one of the outstanding astronomers of the 20th century. Jacqueline and Simon Mitton have written a solidly researched and outstanding biography of a remarkable woman scientist. The concise title Vera Rubin, A Life reflects the dynamic, assertive and no-nonsense person Vera Rubin was.

She spent most of career at the Department of Magnetism (DTM) of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. Working closely with her DTM colleague Kent Ford, Rubin observed hundreds of galaxies. Using spectroscopy, they mapped the velocities of the stars and gas clouds orbiting the center of these giant star systems; they used the Doppler-Fizeau effect, by which receding or approaching motions shift the spectral lines of objects allowing to derive precise relative velocities.

To do so efficiently, Rubin and Ford used the new technology of image amplification developed at the DTM during the 1970s. This optoelectronic device allows to transform photons into accelerated electrons; hitting a fluorescent surface exposed to a small photographic plates. They later used a then new electronic imager, now known as CCDs. Rubin and Ford were able conduct spectroscopic observations of the much fainter regions of the outer disks of galaxies. They mapped orbiting velocities further in galactocentric distances than it had been done before. Having image intensifiers mounted on several large telescopes in the United States and in Chile, they conducted a systematic program gathering hundreds of rotation curves of galaxies.

Carefully reducing their observations, Rubin and Ford faced a stunning result. In the solar system, the more distant a planet is from the Sun, the slower is its orbital speed; the same was expected at the galactic scale. Instead, Rubin found that the velocities remain constant far away from the center, and in some cases increased! Rubin Ford and new collaborators gather many more “flat” rotation curves.

Their interpretation was unsettling: there were several times more galactic mass than implied by luminous matter. This led to the uncomfortable concept of missing mass or dark matter. Rubin and Ford remained cautious: when told she had discovered dark matter, Rubin always temporized. She emphasized the quality of the data, not the interpretation – perhaps a remnant of her phobia for physics. In the 1930s, Swiss astronomer Fritz Zwicky had found a similar result in the much larger systems of galaxy clusters.

Today, one can be appreciative of Vera's caution with regard to the interpretation of flat rotation curves in terms of dark matter. She knew she did not “discovered” dark matter, as DM is a hypothesis, at best a postulate to explain observations of physical systems that show behaviors deviating from Newtonian gravitation theory. If we ever got rid of concepts such as dark matter and energy, Rubin & Ford rotation curves will remain as monuments of solid data.

Mittons’ biography also describes the diversity of Rubin’s early work. She carried out almost “suicidal” thesis projects, e.g. the role of turbulence in the distribution of galaxies, and the rotation of the universe. One wonders why she was sent nonchalantly onto such risky paths in the 1950s… She handled these "out of the blue" topics quite elegantly in the end. One also learns that Vera worked on solar eclipse data for the Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories under a contract Father Hayden of the Georgetown University had with the agency. Eclipse data was to help measure the Earth’s dimension with the highest precision, needed for targeting intercontinental missiles. Vera’s time at Georgetown, teaching and doing research under the disorganized Father Francis Heyden, was challenging; everybody there appeared to be always late in projects, overworked and looking for breath. I strongly feel that these demanding times were very formative years, and made Vera the combative woman scientist she had to be in order to break through barriers and be respected.

The book presents a rightful balance between personal, societal events and a very productive scientific life. Several chapters are devoted to Vera’s astronomy and her key research projects. Many scientists have written about how they achieved their dreams, and about the crucial of a parent or teacher. The Mittons show that Rubin is a clear demonstration of the importance of the role of parents, spouse and friends. Vera’s husband, Robert Rubin himself a leading scientist, was constant and solid in his support. Despite a poor and unsupportive physics teacher in high school, Vera persisted. Unfortunately, the experience stigmatized her attitude toward the field, an almost visceral reaction, to the point she insisted to be called an astronomer and not an "astrophysicist".

Vera's close relation with Margaret and Geoffrey Burbidge, both eminent astrophysicists, early in her career and more close-knit with Margaret later, played a significant role in her intellectual development. The episode where Vera Rubin asks for a job at Department of Terrestrial Magnetism is just stunning; it is a “polaroid” portrait of a spirited and determined person. If gender bias comes through very often as subtle and insidious in Vera’s career, the cases of the Washington D.C. Cosmos Club and events there involving Vera are just blatant. It is no surprise that she, working with Margaret Burbidge, were leaders in defending woman scientists and promoting their value as full blown researchers, capable to occupy the highest functions of scientific leadership and organizational management.

With obvious examples, the Mittons highlight the short memory we all have about our past. Oral histories, such as those finely recorded by the American Institute of Physics, or autobiographical articles, as those published in the Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics may miss important elements of an active scientific life. Written material, letters and research notes that have been archived remain essential to avoid blind spots and to grasp any individual in full.

The book is a mine of gold nuggets that peppered the life of a great scientist who had an eventful and very productive career. Vera Rubin has been an outstanding scientist and Mittons’ book does full justice to this great woman astronomer.


The reviewer is a retired astrophysicist. He also writes about the history of astronomy - recently Unveiling Galaxies, The Role of Images in Astronomical Discovery (Cambridge University Press, 2018) and Trente images qui ont révélé l’univers, de La Lune à l’aube cosmique (Presses de l’Université Laval, 2019).

[Mary Soon Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a detailed biography of Vera Rubin, the astronomer whose observations on galactic rotation rates provided compelling evidence for the existence of dark matter. I read it because I wanted to learn more about Rubin, which the book indeed accomplished. It provides extensive information on her life and work, including her early struggles to pursue astronomy, which were complicated by sexism and by the needs of her family (she had four children). It highlights her observations on galactic rotation rates, a years-long effort carried out in collaboration with Kent Ford. And it includes her commitment to furthering the participation of women in science.

Yet I didn't love this in the way that I loved, for example, Margot Lee Shetterly's "Hidden Figures," a book which brought to life the key involvement of black women mathematicians in the space program. Many sections felt dryly informative, presenting dates, names, et cetera rather flatly. My favorite sections were those describing Rubin's observational work -- sections that, for me, were fascinating and often vividly evocative. Here's an extract from chapter seven, which quotes Rubin's own account of the experience:

"The sun will set within the hour, and will rise 12 hours later. During that time of darkness, each minute will be precious, and I will be aware that I am racing the sun. I arrive with a motley collection: heavy socks, underwear, flashlight, thermos. Closed during the day to keep out the warm air, the telescope dome is now opened to allow the telescope to reach the temperature of the cool night air."

I note that one of the barriers that helped exclude female astronomers was the lack of toilets for women, which was also a problem for the female mathematicians in "Hidden Figures." Such seemingly small practical issues, as well as the larger pervading assumptions and prejudices, provided a serious obstacle to women. One of my favorite chapters (the eleventh) discusses Rubin's support for women in science, from decrying the fact that women were paid less, to opposing the sexist policies of the influential Cosmos Club (including its refusal to allow women to use the main entrance), to advocating for the use of gender-neutral pronouns rather than he/his.

Overall: an excellent resource for those with a particular interest in Vera Rubin. 3.5 out of 5 galactic stars.

About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).

[taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not sure what I was searching for when I typed the letter 'v' into the search box. Apparently I had previously looked up the Vera Rubin Observatory. I read the article, and either my memory is complete crap (p >.95) or I had never read it. A new observatory whose first light is to be early next year in Chili, is named after the famous astronomer Vera Rubin, who?
I did some brief searches on the web for Vera, and found this book. Also available for free from bpl.org

Amazing read for those interested in the recent history of Astronomy.

Things I hope I retain from this read

- The amount of effort that was required during her life to image galaxies is beyond hard work. Hours of freezing nights looking into an eyepiece, slowly turning knobs to keep the object in the center, and then in the end you get a photograph. This then needs to be developed and inspected with a microscope. Today of course computers do all this while we sleep.

- Her constant mental battle of juggling family, career and her passion of just being in the "dome". She must of done a great job as all 4 children obtained PhDs in various sciences.

- All correspondences were done by mail. All her letters she filed, and now exist in the library of Congress, where much of this book was researched. Along with letters, she has hand drawings of machines and the evening sky.

She is most known by her discovery or rather affirmation with undisputable evidence, that the stars of galaxies are moving way to fast. Normally gravitationally bound objects will move slower the further away they are from the center of the gravitational field. Ergo Saturn is moving slower than earth as it circles the sun. Thank you Copernicus. This conflict of theory vs observation is where science happens. The most plausible explanation is that there is way more mass than we can see. Thus the term dark matter.

The observatory named after her will be amazing. It will image the entire southern hemisphere every 3 nights, and do this for 10 years. The goal is to understand "what has changed", or the evolution of the sky. The amount of data that is produced each night is terrifying and of course computers are used to find these changes. She would not believe this is doable, or perhaps she would. The article which was the genesis for all of this was about how the CIA wants to redact these images as they will capture spy satellites.

She did not win the Nobel prize in physics, but if there was a prize for hard work, she would taken that easily. She fought hard for women in science and embarrassed many an academic with their only-men-can-do-science bias.

[Nicholas (was Allison) · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.35 Stars
Notes: I had previously known of Vera Rubin for years. This book had helped me to know that she would still be remembered for a time, even after what had unfortunately happened to her, which was very, very sad. I was researching Vera Rubin and her past accomplishments for many years, before finding this novel.

I was very glad that I got to read this novel because it helped me to understand much more about her. She was quite renowned for the scientific dedication of her work - Vera was just a very kind person to know about.

Reading about her was literally a joy. This book helped me in more ways than I could properly explain, since I have been trying to find more science nonfiction books to read through.

The writing style of the book explains things simply enough for me to read through several longer paragraphs without much concentration. However, even though there are some longer paragraphs in the storyline, they are not too difficult to read through.

Scientific content related to math, astronomy, astrophysics, and other related content gets explained enough so it can be understood under stress. I really liked that I could clearly focus on what was written in several chapters.

I was thankful that I got to read through the storyline in its entirety. I much rather would have done that, since there were times in the past for years when I had gotten more curious on what Vera Rubin’s life was like. I had waited for this story to be published - when I finally could get a copy of it after waiting, I was in awe. There actually were black and white photographs with extra detailed content on her work, about her life, those that Vera knew, or other similar topics.

This book is okay to be understood, even if someone does not know that much about science. Content gets explained alright enough, that all that is essentially necessary to read more than 17 chapters are an understanding and a curiosity of science. This novel is not something to be missed out on, should someone be curious about it.

I would recommend this book to those who are interested, because this is not anything to be skipped over. This book deserves to be appreciated for precisely what it is, since Vera Rubin was accomplished for all that she worked for.

[tomahawk28 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vera Rubin was an astronomer whose research has transformed our understanding of the cosmic universe. One of her famous researches is about the rotation of galaxies in which the result has confirmed the existence of dark matter. By this, we have now known that almost 80 percent of matters in our universe are in the form we can’t detect yet.

Vera never lightly made a conclusion on the scientific topic. She has rather devoted most of her career to observe the galaxies and analyze the vast amount of data that requiring from theoretical works. Only after she had firmly convinced herself with enough evidence, she made a conclusion on the topic.

Not only she made great scientific achievements but also often spoke out for women whose careers have been discriminated against on their sex. She had well known that how so many female scientists have lost their opportunity because of absurd reasons, such as some research institutes are not allowed for "women".
Undertaking a lengthy fight for gender equality, she and many advocates have successfully brought historical changes from many scientific organizations which would ensure gender parity in the future.

I can’t help but fathom what enabled Vera’s successful career all the while she gave birth to 4 children. In one famous Korean novel, [“Kim Ji young born in 1982”], Jiyoung felt that she become nothingness herself after deteriorating by domestic routines and dull duties from her family. She has lost her mind after all.

Would have been different to Jiyoung if she has, says, a thoughtful husband and supportive family, like Vera’s? While I am very happy to see Vera had a successful life, I can't stop thinking about many women who lost their chances to blossom their life only because of their surrounding situation.
I’m sorry for them.

[Salus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pese a no compartir la vida trepidante de otras figuras femeninas notables en el sector de la ciencia, la autora transmite de forma maravillosa el ajetreo y la pasión de la Dra. Vera C. Rubin por su amada ciencia y su familia. También aparte de las aportaciones de gran valor que hizo a nivel científico, queda plasmado en el libro su activismo por la igualdad de las mujeres en ciencia. Hay algún que otro comentario de Vera en este sentido, en el que rebosa la ironía y te saca una sonrisa.
Una persona que sin duda dejó una huella enorme en la ciencia y sin la cual, ésta no estaría como esta. No obstante, aún queda mucho trabajo por hacer para equilibrar la balanza.

[Lilith · Rating 5 out of 5]

From getting married before finishing school, presenting while pregnant, traveling with her family to conference after conference, Vera Rubin is the definition of a woman having it all. I love the support she received from her husband who had no qualms about taking a back seat to her success as well as her family who made it possible for her to constantly travel and excel in her field.

A great read and women like Rubin made so many strides for women in a time they did not want to educate women. She was encouraged to just get married and have kids which she DID and made breakthroughs about dark matter as well as other things.

[Sue Broadston · Rating 5 out of 5]

From another woman who broke barriers

I am so glad I read about Vera Rubin’s life. What an inspiration. I only regret that I was unaware of her earlier—as I pursued my own career as a physicist often bucking the opinions of folks who thought I should be “more feminine” and “not let men know that I was interested in science…or snakes…or machines….”
Hooray for Vera, her family, and her science. It warms my heart to know she was out there, being 100% a woman and loving all the aspects of her amazing life.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read for anyone interested in the history of dark matter (or galaxies) from the first people to access Vera Rubin’s collection in the Library of Congress. I think astronomers and physicists should read in particular the chapter on her advocacy for women in the field.

[Piotr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wybitna astronomka, która swój czas poświęciła w zasadzie tylko nauce, rodzinie i walce o równe prawa kobiet w świecie naukowym. Jej koncentracja tylko na tych aspektach spowodowała, że autorzy nie mieli za bardzo o czym pisać, przez co w książce zawarli dużo nieistotnych faktów.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.7 stars.
The early part of the bio is a bit written "down" - feels a little like it was meant for a young audience. But it soon regains its adult footing and becomes an inspiring tale of a great scientist who happened to be a wonderful, caring person too.

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great biography of pioneer in astronomy

[Anum Tanveer]

From Ada to Vera, date

[Caoimhe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of my dissertation

[Daysi Quinatoa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The question will I ever really be an astronomer? An amazing and inspiring life. My hero and role model.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pedestrian biography of a science giant.