Vera Rubin has made her own way in astronomy, frequently working alone and in fields which were not considered "cutting edge". Her initial work at Vassar, Cornell, and Georgetown Universities was careful mathematical computation on galaxies. As the first woman allowed to work at the Palomar Observatory she collected the evidence that stars moving at the outer boundaries of some galaxies move as rapidly as many in the more luminous interior. This work on the distribution and the rotational movement of galaxies has led to the development of the concept of dark matter. Her ability to inspire young people in science is underscored by her own 4 children, all of whom have PhD.'s in science. Artist: Emily R.

Web site development by Bo D., an 8th grader and Miss Graham on:

September, 1998; Last modified: May 27, 1999

Questions, comments, or suggestions about this website should be directed to:

Rilla Chaney, 8th Grade Science Teacher

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