To speak of Julieta Fierro is to speak of someone who achieved something rarely seen: she made science stop feeling distant and complicated, turning it instead into something close, joyful, and deeply human. She inspired entire generations and always spread her passion for astronomy, but without a doubt, her greatest talent was building bridges between knowledge and people.
Still, some might wonder: who was Julieta Fierro? To answer, we must go back to the mid-1970s, when she was completing her undergraduate degree in Physics at UNAM, and to 1982, when she earned her Master’s in Science with a thesis dedicated to the study of the physical conditions of the spiral galaxy M101, based on observations of ionized hydrogen distributed along its disk.
Just four years later, she published her first article in Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, this time with a similar analysis applied to the galaxy NGC 2403. She accomplished all this under the mentorship of Manuel Peimbert and Silvia Torres, key figures in the consolidation of professional astronomy in Mexico.
It was in that context that Julieta Fierro was formed, who, over time, would become the most recognized astronomer among Mexican society. But what made Julieta Fierro so unique? The answer is simple: she possessed an extraordinary ability to break down the most complex concepts of physics and astronomy and present them in a clear and simple way, making them accessible to non-specialist audiences.
This ability was accompanied by a unique spark, as she managed to make her talks participatory, approachable, and often fun: whether dressed in a tutu while performing Galileo’s dance, climbing onto tables, or throwing balls to the audience—always with kindness, always with closeness.
Such a personality is indispensable for science, especially in a context where it is often misunderstood, overlooked, or replaced by myths. We need scientists who generate knowledge, yes, but also professionals capable of communicating it and raising society’s awareness of its importance, so that scientific progress does not stall.
Her passing is deeply painful for the astronomical community, but it is comforting to see hundreds of professionals now writing messages acknowledging that they studied Physics and Astrophysics thanks to her.
Beyond the many recognitions she received, Julieta Fierro’s true legacy lies in the vocations she inspired and in the way she transformed the relationship of hundreds of people with science, through her books, her lectures, and above all, her passion for sharing the Universe.
Today, Julieta returns to the cosmos she studied, shared, and taught us to look at with wonder.
Carolina Rodríguez Garza is the national director of the Industrial Physics Engineering (IFI) program at the School of Engineering and Sciences, Tec de Monterrey. She is known as “The Rocket Woman” for being the first astrophysicist to lead the IFI program and for co-authoring the first radio astronomy paper with Tec affiliation, published in The Astronomical Journal, on the discovery of water masers (molecules) in two protostars in the Serpens South region.
