Lady of the Stars Margherita Hack honoured with a Google Doodle

Google has honoured Italian astrophysicist Margherita Hack in today’s Doodle. June 12 marks Hack’s 99th birthday. “Today’s Doodle celebrates the 99th birthday of Italian professor, activist, author, and astrophysicist Margherita ‘The Lady of the Stars’ Hack,” Google explains. “Thank you for inspiring future generations to shoot for the stars!”. Hack discovered the asteroid 8558 Hack, which you can see in the Doodle, and it was named after her. The Doodle has Hack sitting in her chair and looking into her telescope with a cat by her side.

She has started off as a Literature major in the university but changed her major to Physics just after one class. Hack’s work at Trieste’s Observatory made her famous in the astronomical community and got her memberships at NASA and the European Space Agency.