Vera Rubin, affectionately known as the “Mother of Dark Matter,” earned her moniker through groundbreaking research on the elusive substance that makes up a significant portion of the universe. Her pioneering work focused on the study of galaxies, with one particular galaxy becoming synonymous with her work, earning the nickname “Rubin’s Galaxy.”
Rubin’s meticulous investigation of this galaxy was driven by her quest to unravel the mysteries of dark matter, the invisible scaffolding upon which our universe is structured. She measured the galaxy’s rotation, which provided evidence for the existence of dark matter, which constitutes the majority of the galaxy’s mass as inferred from its rotation rate.
A commemorative image of Rubin’s Galaxy was released by NASA, honoring her contributions to the field. The galaxy’s extraordinary size and structure continue to fascinate astronomers, who are eager to understand how it achieved its immense dimensions without encountering other celestial bodies in space.
NASA’s upcoming James Webb Space Telescope and the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) hold promise for delving deeper into the heart of this galaxy and exploring its globular cluster population. Their infrared capabilities will provide a clearer view of the underlying stellar populations, complementing the Hubble Space Telescope’s ability to track subtle star formation across the galaxy in visible light.
In the northern constellation Perseus, Rubin’s Galaxy continues to captivate astronomers with its awe-inspiring scale and structure, standing as a testament to the remarkable contributions of Vera Rubin to the field of astrophysics.
