Google honored Italian astronomer Margherita Hack with a doodle on her 99th birthday on Saturday. She had discovered the asteroid 8558 Hack, which was named in her honor. “Today’s Doodle celebrates the 99th birthday of Italian professor, activist, author, and astrophysicist Margherita “The girl of the Stars” Hack,” said Google. “Thank you for uplifting future generations to aim the stars!” it said.

The Google doodle shows Hack sitting on her chair and looking out into her telescope. Born on June 12, 1922, in Florence, Italy, Hack was the primary feminine director of the Trieste Astronomical Observatory. She had affected Trieste in 1964 and had earned a full position at the town university, being the primary lady to try and do so.

Besides her interest in satellites and astrophysics, Hack was additionally an advocate of civil rights and equality and championed progressive causes and animal protection. Margherita Hack had at the start started with a literature major in university, however simply once one class, she modified her major to physics.

Her innovations at Trieste’s Observatory earned her recognition within the astronomical community, besides memberships at house Administration|NASA|independent agency} and European Space Agency.

Hack additionally printed dozens of educational papers and a number of other books on astronomy, besides launching 2 astronomical magazines. At 90, she was given the title of genus Dama di granny Croce, the very best award given by the Italian government.

Hack died at the age of ninety-one on June 29, 2013.