From Infogalactic:
Vera (Cooper) Rubin (born July 23, 1928) is an American astronomer who pioneered work on galaxy rotation rates. She uncovered the discrepancy between the predicted angular motion of galaxies and the observed motion, by studying galactic rotation curves. This phenomenon became known as the galaxy rotation problem. Although initially met with skepticism, Rubin's results have been confirmed over the subsequent decades. Attempts to explain the galaxy rotation problem led to the theory of dark matter.
The Carnegie Institute has her obituary:
VERA RUBIN WHO CONFIRMED “DARK MATTER” DIES
Renowned astrophysicist and National Medal of Science awardee Vera Rubin passed away in Princeton N.J., the evening of December 25, 2016, at the age of 88. Rubin confirmed the existence of dark matter—the invisible material that makes up more than 90% of the mass of the universe. She was a retired staff astronomer at the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Terrestrial Magnetism in Washington, D.C.
“Vera Rubin was a national treasure as an accomplished astronomer and a wonderful role model for young scientists,” remarked Carnegie president Matthew Scott. “We are very saddened by this loss.”
Here is a photo of her at work - the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ - the angled thing is a spectroscope used for determining the speed of a given stars motion relative to Earth.
The idea that the Nobel Committee never awarded her the Physics Prize is unreal. The Prizes can not be awarded posthumously so they should just not award a Physics Prize for 2017 - everyone would understand.
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