Michel Mayor, Nobel Prize in Physics, A “Time Machines”

Thirty years after the announcement of the discovery of the first exoplanet, the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics, Michel Gustave Édouard Mayor, will hold a conference dedicated to one of the most fascinating topics in modern astrophysics: the existence of other worlds in the universe.

Since ancient times, humanity has wondered about the possibility that life exists elsewhere in the cosmos. Today, thanks to extraordinary technological innovations, this question has found a new scientific dimension. Since that first exoplanet identified in 1995, thousands of planetary systems have been discovered, many of which are profoundly different from our Solar System.

But the research does not stop there: the analysis of planetary atmospheres could reveal biosignatures, chemical traces that suggest the presence of life. Advances in the spectroscopic study of exoplanets are bringing us ever closer to the possibility of answering one of the oldest and most fascinating questions in the history of humanity: are we alone in the universe?

USEFUL INFORMATION
• Access is reserved for holders of a valid exhibition ticket for the event day. Tickets are available at the local box office or online. More information.
• LIS (Italian Sign Language) and simultaneous translation available.

Michel Gustave Édouard Mayor (born January 12, 1942 in Lausanne, Switzerland) is a Swiss astrophysicist and professor emeritus at the Department of Astronomy of the University of Geneva. In 1995, together with Didier Queloz, he discovered 51 Pegasi b, the first exoplanet orbiting a Sun-like star. This discovery marked a turning point in astronomical research, paving the way for the study of exoplanets. For this achievement, Mayor and Queloz received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2019. Mayor received a Master’s degree in Physics from the University of Lausanne in 1966 and a Doctorate in Astronomy from the Geneva Observatory in 1971. During his career, he has held senior positions in numerous scientific institutions and has contributed significantly to the development of instruments for measuring radial velocities, which have been fundamental to the discovery of exoplanets.