Internet search engine giant Google celebrates Italian astrophysicist Margherita Hack's 99th birthday with a doodle showing her operating a telescope. "Happy birthday, Margherita Hack, and thank you for inspiring future generations to shoot for the stars!" wishes Google.
"Outside of her interest in satellites, asteroids, and the evolution of stellar atmospheres, Hack championed civil rights as an outspoken advocate for progressive causes, animal protection, and equality for all," said the Google Doodles website.
It adds that for over 20 years, she transformed Trieste’s Observatory from a largely anonymous institution to a globally renowned nexus of scientific progress, and these distinguished innovations garnered Hack international recognition in the astronomical community, which led to prestigious memberships at NASA and the European Space Agency - both home to the world’s foremost scientific observatories.
Acclaimed for her ability to explain complex scientific concepts to the general public, Hack published dozens of academic papers, several astronomy books, and founded two astronomical magazines, website further states.
"She received a litany of accolades for her lifetime achievements, notably having asteroid 8558 Hack, which orbits between Mars and Jupiter, named in her honor in 1995. At 90 years young, the Italian government conferred Hack with its highest award: the title of Dama di Gran Croce," it concludes.
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