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swissinfo.ch
Sept 17 2010
Armenian award for Swiss astronomer
Astronomer Michel Mayor of Geneva university was presented with the
first international Viktor Ambartsumian prize in the Armenian capital
of Yerevan on Thursday.
Mayor was awarded the prize along with two of his colleagues, Garik
Israelian and Nuno Santos, for their research into planets outside the
solar system - so-called exoplanets.
He was the first person ever to demonstrate the existence of such
planets, 15 years ago. Although many more have since been discovered,
the formation of such planetary systems remains a puzzle.
"In the last 10 years Michel Mayor and his international team have
managed to determine the physical and chemical properties of stars
wtih exoplanets. The results of the team's research are very important
for models describing the formation of planets," says a media release
by the Swiss Academy of Science which proposed him for the award.
The prize was established by Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan in
2009. It is named after an Armenian astrophysicist and is worth
$500,000 (SFr505,000). It is to be awarded every two years.
swissinfo.ch
From: A. Papazian
Sept 17 2010
Armenian award for Swiss astronomer
Astronomer Michel Mayor of Geneva university was presented with the
first international Viktor Ambartsumian prize in the Armenian capital
of Yerevan on Thursday.
Mayor was awarded the prize along with two of his colleagues, Garik
Israelian and Nuno Santos, for their research into planets outside the
solar system - so-called exoplanets.
He was the first person ever to demonstrate the existence of such
planets, 15 years ago. Although many more have since been discovered,
the formation of such planetary systems remains a puzzle.
"In the last 10 years Michel Mayor and his international team have
managed to determine the physical and chemical properties of stars
wtih exoplanets. The results of the team's research are very important
for models describing the formation of planets," says a media release
by the Swiss Academy of Science which proposed him for the award.
The prize was established by Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan in
2009. It is named after an Armenian astrophysicist and is worth
$500,000 (SFr505,000). It is to be awarded every two years.
swissinfo.ch
From: A. Papazian