The US Mint has released a new quarter honoring Vera Rubin, a renowned astronomer who made groundbreaking contributions to our understanding of the universe. The coin features Rubin smiling and gazing up at the cosmos, surrounded by swirling dark matter.
Rubin’s work focused on the rotation of galaxies, confirming the existence of dark matter – a mysterious material that makes up 90% of the universe’s mass. Her research revolutionized modern cosmology and paved the way for future studies.
The quarter is part of the American Women Quarters series, which celebrates notable women who made significant contributions in various fields. Rubin was an advocate for women in STEM, fighting to gain recognition for female astronomers in a male-dominated field.
Rubin began her career at Carnegie’s Department of Terrestrial Magnetism in 1965 and went on to collaborate with colleague Kent Ford to study the Andromeda galaxy. Their findings showed that stars in spiral galaxies are not influenced by Newtonian gravitational theory, but instead, were propelled by an invisible force – dark matter.
Rubin’s achievements include being awarded the National Medal of Science in 1993 and becoming the first woman to receive the Royal Astronomical Society’s Gold Medal in 1996. The US Mint has also announced that a new observatory, named after Rubin, will be built in Chile and is scheduled to open later this summer.
Source: https://carnegiescience.edu/news/dr-vera-rubin-commemorative-quarter-enters-circulation