R.I.P. Margaret Burbidge

[Regiomontanus]

"She was denied access to a telescope because of her sex, but Dr. Burbidge forged ahead anyway, going on to make pathbreaking discoveries about the cosmos."


E. Margaret Burbidge, Astronomer Who Blazed Trails on Earth, Dies at 100

"Dr. Burbidge had made her reputation by studying stars, often in collaboration with her husband, the astronomer Geoffrey Burbidge. Their research included a landmark article describing the formation within stars of nearly all the chemical elements — those incumbents of the periodic table that are the stuff of life in the universe.

She also studied the properties of galaxies and the nature of quasars and in later years came to question the Big Bang theory, the cornerstone of modern cosmology."

 

[exchemist]

"She was denied access to a telescope because of her sex, but Dr. Burbidge forged ahead anyway, going on to make pathbreaking discoveries about the cosmos."


E. Margaret Burbidge, Astronomer Who Blazed Trails on Earth, Dies at 100

"Dr. Burbidge had made her reputation by studying stars, often in collaboration with her husband, the astronomer Geoffrey Burbidge. Their research included a landmark article describing the formation within stars of nearly all the chemical elements — those incumbents of the periodic table that are the stuff of life in the universe.

She also studied the properties of galaxies and the nature of quasars and in later years came to question the Big Bang theory, the cornerstone of modern cosmology."

Gosh, one of the authors of the famous B²FH paper! I had no idea she was still alive.

 

[Revoltingest]

RIP, toots.

 

[Regiomontanus]

... I had no idea she was still alive.

That was my first reaction!

 

[Regiomontanus]

RIP, toots.

toots? LOL, it sounds like you might have dated a flapper back in high school?

 

[Revoltingest]

toots? LOL, it sounds like you might have dated a flapper back in high school?

What can I say....I'm old.

 

[exchemist]

That was my first reaction!

I remember learning about B²FH in inorganic chemistry lectures at university, back in 1973, I think it was. But Hoyle died in 2001 and had been quite nutty for a while, so I am surprised to find one of the Burbages was still going - until now. Seems Fowler was the only one to get a Nobel prize. But Margaret was an FRS, I see, and had plenty of other honours.

 

[Regiomontanus]

I remember learning about B²FH in inorganic chemistry lectures at university, back in 1973, I think it was. But Hoyle died in 2001 and had been quite nutty for a while, so I am surprised to find one of the Burbages was still going - until now. Seems Fowler was the only one to get a Nobel prize. But Margaret was an FRS, I see, and had plenty of other honours.

Yeah Hoyle could be a bit nutty but was a real genius and pioneer.

One of the last things he did was, with Narlikar, revise his Steady-State theory, now the Quasi Steady-Steady State Cosmology (QSSC). It failed but I aplaud the maverick streak in him!