In a spiral galaxy, the ratio of dark-to-light matter is about a factor of ten. That's probably a good number for the ratio of our ignorance to knowledge. We're out of kindergarten, but only in about third grade.
— Vera Rubin
So important is this dark matter to our understanding of the size, shape, and ultimate fate of the universe that the search for it will very likely dominate astronomy for the next few decades.
In my own life, my science and my religion are separate.
We need senators who have studied physics and representatives who understand ecology.
There is no problem in science that can be solved by a man that cannot be solved by a woman.
I knew there was a school where women could study astronomy. So... it never occurred to me that I couldn't be an astronomer.
Don't let anyone keep you down for silly reasons such as who you are.
By about age 12, I would prefer to stay up and watch the stars than go to sleep. I started learning. I started going to the library and reading. But it was initially just watching the stars from my bedroom that I really did. There was just nothing as interesting in my life as watching the stars every night.
No observational problem will not be solved by more data.
Science progresses best when observations force us to alter our preconceptions.
I try to do my science in a moral way, and, I believe that, ideally, science should be looked upon as something that helps us understand our role in the universe.
The conclusion is inescapable that non-luminous matter exists beyond the optical galaxy.
Worldwide, half of all brains are in women.
I would prefer to stay up and watch the stars than sleep.
Nobody ever told us all matter radiated. We just assumed it did.
We know very little about the universe. I personally don't believe it's uniform and the same everywhere. That's like saying the earth is flat.
My childhood bedroom - if childhood could be about ten years old - had a bed which was under windows which faced north. At about age 10, I started watching the stars just move through the night.
Does Sex Matter? Of course it does. But does it matter enough to Matter? That's a different question.
I think the question is, are there women and have there been women who want to do science and could be doing great science, but they never really got the opportunity?
I'm Jewish, and so religion, to me, is a kind of moral code and a kind of history.
There was just nothing as interesting in my life as watching the stars every night.
We all need permission to do science, but for reasons that are deeply ingrained in history, this permission is more often given to men than to women.
Fame is fleeting. My numbers mean more to me than my name.
The real prize is finding something new out there.
I had the usual friends who pointed out constellations of stars. But it really was watching the stars. It was getting some sense of the motion of the earth. I found it a remarkable thing.
My father was an electrical engineer. He's presently 92 and still could be holding down a job. He had a very analytical way of looking at things, and I enjoyed that very much. I think that was a very large influence.
