7/27/13

11:33AM Saturday Jul 27, 2013 9,288 online now

Prestigious prize for Melbourne astronomer

Do you know more about a story? Real Estate Cars Jobs Dating New sletters Fairfax Media Netw ork

Prestigious prize for Melbourne astronomer

June 9, 2009 Bridie Sm ith Read later

submit to reddit
Email article Print Reprints & permissions

A MELBOURNE astronomer jointly awarded a prestigious international prize for his work measuring the size and age of the universe said the award vindicated almost a decade of research. Jeremy Mould, of Melbourne University's school of physics, has been awarded the 2009 Gruber Prize for Cosmology. He shares the $624,000 award, the biggest in cosmology, with colleagues Wendy Freedman, of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, and Robert Kennicutt, of the Institute of Astronomy at Cambridge University. In 1999, the group's definitive measurement of the Hubble constant - which explains the expansion rate of the universe since its beginning - put the age of the universe at 13 billion years. "A few people were sceptical about it at the time," Professor Mould said. "It was a controversial result. For a few years prior to our work, people had been arguing whether the age of the universe was 10 billion years old or 20 billion years old, but it really took new results to work out that 13 billion was the correct number."

Jeremy Mould

The trio's research, which used the Hubble telescope to observe 18 galaxies out to 65 million light years, has since been confirmed and recognised as one of the most important measurements in astronomy. Professor Mould said the accolade, which will be made official at a presentation ceremony in Brazil in August, was "extremely exciting" news. "Cosmology is one of Australia's science strengths," he said.

Current jobs ER Essex 53 44,168 - 82,365 Melbourne Metro, VIC Pulse Staffing Ltd View Job Account Executive - Co... $50,000 - $70,000 pkg Preston, VIC 3072

Recommended

[?]

FROM THE WEB

Secret strategy to keep Tim Tams tip top

A good son's deadly detour

Cory Monteith's cause of death not due to drugs

Lifeguard booted off bus over Buddy-brand Tshirt

Grand Designs + Solar Panels = Epic Fail

SolarQuotes.com.au

submit to reddit
Email article Print Reprints & permissions

www.theage.com.au/national/prestigious-prize-for-melbourne-astronomer-20090608-c0v1.html

1/1