Margherita Hack

Hello, my name is Margherita Hack, and I want to tell you the story of how a girl from Florence fell in love with the stars. I was born on June 12th, 1922, in Florence, Italy. My city was world-famous for its beautiful art and history, but from a young age, my gaze was always turned upward, toward the endless night sky. I was an active child and loved sports, especially track and field, which taught me discipline and strength. My parents were wonderful guides who encouraged me to think for myself, ask questions, and be deeply curious about the world. This was incredibly important, as I grew up during a difficult period in Italy's history known as fascism, when independent thinking was not always encouraged. My parents taught me to value freedom and knowledge above all, which set the course for my entire life.

My university years began during the turmoil of World War II, a time of great uncertainty. Despite the challenges, I knew I wanted to study the universe's secrets. I enrolled at the University of Florence to study physics, which was not a common path for young women in those days. But my curiosity about the cosmos was stronger than any tradition. I worked hard and, in 1945, I graduated with a thesis on a special type of star called Cepheid variables. These amazing stars pulse with light, growing brighter and then dimmer in a regular rhythm. By studying their pulse, astronomers can measure vast distances across space, like using a cosmic ruler. During these years, I also met the love of my life, Aldo De Rosa. We were married on February 19th, 1944, and for nearly 70 years, he was my greatest supporter, always encouraging my starry dreams.

My career took its most important step forward in 1964. That year, I moved to the city of Trieste to take on two new roles: I became a full professor of astronomy at the university and the director of the Trieste Astronomical Observatory. This was a monumental achievement, because I was the first woman in Italy to ever be appointed the director of a major astronomical observatory. I felt a great sense of responsibility and excitement. My work involved studying the light that traveled to us from distant stars. Using a technique called spectroscopy, my team and I could analyze that light to understand what the stars were made of, how hot they were, and how they changed over billions of years. I was so proud to lead the observatory, transforming it from a small institution into a modern, internationally respected center for scientific research where new discoveries about our universe could be made.

I always believed that the wonders of science should not be locked away in laboratories and accessible only to scientists. Science, I felt, belongs to everyone. This belief fueled my passion for science communication. I wanted to share the awe I felt when looking at the stars with as many people as possible. Over the decades, I wrote dozens of books for the public, appeared on television programs, and gave countless talks to explain the complex ideas of astrophysics in a way that was exciting and understandable. But my interests didn't stop at the stars. I believed that a scientific mind should also be a compassionate and fair one. This led me to become a strong advocate for civil rights, animal welfare, and secularism, fighting for a society based on reason, evidence, and kindness.

I lived a very full and exciting life, reaching the age of 91 years old. I hope I am remembered not just as a scientist who studied the stars, but as someone who brought them a little closer to people here on Earth. My work helped open up the universe to the Italian public and, I hope, inspired many young people, especially girls, to see that a career in science was possible for them. There is even a small piece of me still out there in space—an asteroid named 8558 Hack, which is forever orbiting among the very stars I dedicated my life to understanding.