Dr. Vera Rubin, who had a longstanding relationship with the Vatican Observatory, will be honored on a quarter coin as part of the U.S. Mint's American Women Quarters Program.
Coins featuring Rubin's visage began shipping on June 2, said a release from the U.S. Mint.
Rubin was an instructor at the first Vatican Observatory Summer School in 1986. She maintained a longtime relationship with the Vatican Observatory, and was appointed by Pope St. John Paul II to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in 1996.
Fr. Chris Corbally, S.J., a Jesuit priest and astronomer, wrote fondly about Rubin following her death in 2016.
"Vera was always a strong supporter of the idea that the Catholic Church should have a firm presence in scientific research. I remember two ways in which she demonstrated this," said Corbally.
"In Tucson on September 17, 1993, the eve of the dedication of VATT, the Vatican’s telescope on Mount Graham, Vera kindly gave the after-dinner talk to all our benefactors and friends. She was lively, brief, and inspiring. After her talk, we all wanted to head out and use the new telescope to explore the universe," he said.
Following her appointment to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Rubin asked her friend Fr. Martin McCarthy, S.J., if she should now be called "your eminence," Corbally recalled.
"Only when you wear red, Vera," McCarthy replied.
A scientific pioneer
Rubin was selected for the American Women Quarters Program to honor her life and legacy, said Kristie McNally, the Mint's Acting Director, in a press release.
“Dr. Rubin gathered crucial data to support the existence of the unseen material that binds entire galaxies together and is believed to make up more than 80 percent of the mass of the universe. The data on dark matter from dozens of galaxies that Rubin presented to the International Astronomical Union in 1985 ultimately changed scientific conceptions of the universe and opened new paths in both astronomy and physics," said McNally.
In addition to Rubin's profile, the coin features "a spiral galaxy and other celestial bodies," said the U.S. Mint.
"Inscriptions include 'DR. VERA RUBIN,' 'QUARTER DOLLAR,' 'E PLURIBUS UNUM,' and 'UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.' The additional inscription, 'DARK MATTER,' the invisible mass found in our galaxy, is inscribed at the bottom of the design," said the Mint.
Christina Hess, the woman who designed the image, said it was "a great honor to illustrate her portrait and legacy."
“By positioning her portrait off-center and toward the upper right, I aimed to move the audience’s gaze upward, symbolizing exploration beyond the coin’s boundaries, evoking a sense of infinite possibility and continuous motion,” she said.
