# Michel Mayor

_Swiss astrophysicist & Nobel laureate of Physics_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/michel-mayor
Last updated: 2026-10-31

> Michel Gustave Édouard Mayor (French pronunciation: [miʃɛl majɔʁ]; born 12 January 1942) is a Swiss astrophysicist and professor emeritus at the University of Geneva's Department of Astronomy. He formally retired in 2007, but remains active as a researcher at the Observatory of Geneva. He is co-laureate of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics along with Jim Peebles and Didier Queloz, and the winner of the 2010 Viktor Ambartsumian International Prize and the 2015 Kyoto Prize.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 12 January 1942 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123975#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Lausanne ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123975#P19))
- **Citizenship:** Switzerland ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123975#P27))
- **Occupation:** university teacher; astrophysicist; astronomer; physicist; researcher ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123975#P106))
- **Education:** University of Geneva; University of Lausanne ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123975#P69))
- **Official website:** exoplanets.ch/team/faculty-members/michel-mayor ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123975#P856))
- **Positions held:** director (1998–2004) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123975#P39))
- **Awards:** Prix Jules Janssen; Balzan Prize; Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society; Karl Schwarzschild Medal; Wolf Prize in Physics; Knight of the Legion of Honour; Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences; Marcel Benoist Prize; BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award; Albert Einstein Medal; The Shaw Prize in Astronomy; Nobel Prize in Physics; Officer of the Legion of Honour; Viktor Ambartsumian International Prize; Nature's 10 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123975#P166))

## About

Together with Didier Queloz in 1995, he discovered 51 Pegasi b, the first extrasolar planet orbiting a sun-like star, 51 Pegasi. For this achievement, they were awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics "for the discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star" resulting in "contributions to our understanding of the evolution of the universe and Earth's place in the cosmos".

Related to the discovery, Mayor noted that humans will never migrate to such exoplanets since they are "much, much too far away ... [and would take] hundreds of millions of days using the means we have available today". However, due to discoveries by Mayor, searching for extraterrestrial communications from exoplanets may now be a more practical consideration than thought earlier.

## Questions

**When was Michel Mayor born?**  
Michel Mayor was born on 12 January 1942 in Lausanne.

**What positions has Michel Mayor held?**  
Positions held by Michel Mayor include: director (1998–2004).

**Where did Michel Mayor study?**  
Michel Mayor was educated at University of Geneva, University of Lausanne.

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Michel Mayor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Mayor) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q123975](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123975) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Michel Mayor ESA20824331 (cropped).jpeg by European Space Agency (CC BY-SA 3.0 igo)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Michel_Mayor_ESA20824331_(cropped).jpeg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Michel Mayor, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Michel Mayor ESA20824331 (cropped).jpeg — European Space Agency, CC BY-SA 3.0 igo.

## Cite this page

"Michel Mayor". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/michel-mayor. Retrieved 5 November 2026.