E. Margaret Burbidge: 1919-2020
May 2020 :
The astronomy community was saddened to hear of the death of E. Margaret Burbidge April 5th, 2020, after suffering a fall. A true trailblazer, Burbidge, among her many accomplishments, was the first female Director of the Royal Greenwich Observatory.
Born August 12th, 1919, she met her husband and collaborator, Geoffrey Burbidge, at University College London, a theoretical physics major who, on hearing of her passion for astronomy, became convinced to switch to theoretical astrophysics.
During World War II, she worked at the University College of London, but twice had to stop because of bombs flying. She turned down a postdoc from Carnegie Observatories because the work came with observing times at Mount Wilson, which at that time only allowed men to use.
Her first position in the U.S. was at Yerkes Observatory, but she returned to England to work, with her husband, William Alfred Fowler, and Fred Hoyle on an idea that became known as stellar nucleosynthesis, whereby stars produced chemical elements by means of nuclear reactions.
Returning to the United States, she again applied to observe at Mount Wilson, but was still refused; however, her husband applied, and upon his acceptance became his “assistant” in his work, although the majority of the observing was performed by her.
Throughout her life, Burbidge campaigned for both discrimination and what she called “positive discrimination,” whereby awards given to only women were also one of her focus points, only accepting awards that could be given to persons of either gender.
Through her life she authored over 370 research papers, a feat few people can compare with. Her legacy as an astronomer will never be forgotten.
