Richard Martin West facts for kids

Richard Martin West (born in 1941) is a Danish astronomer. He has spent many years working at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and the International Astronomical Union (IAU). He is famous for finding many astronomical objects in space.

Richard West discovered many comets. One of his most famous finds was Comet West (C/1975 V1). This comet was one of the brightest comets seen in the 1970s. He also found other comets that return regularly, like 76P/West–Kohoutek–Ikemura and 123P/West–Hartley.

Besides comets, he also found 40 minor planets between 1976 and 1986. These include 2146 Stentor and 2148 Epeios, which are special types of asteroids called Trojan asteroids. With another astronomer, Hans-Emil Schuster, he helped discover the Phoenix Dwarf galaxy.

Early Life and Education

Richard West was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1941. He finished high school in 1959. Later, in 1964, he earned a degree in astronomy and astrophysics from the University of Copenhagen.

Career at ESO

Richard West started working at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in 1970. He began as an assistant to the ESO Director General, Adriaan Blaauw. In 1972, he took on a very important project. He led one of ESO's first and biggest science programs. This project was called the Sky Atlas Laboratory. Its goal was to create detailed maps of the southern sky.

Richard West also played a key role in helping scientists from Central and Eastern European countries. He worked to build strong connections with them after the Soviet Union broke apart in the early 1990s. He retired from ESO in 2005, after many years of dedicated work.

Important Roles and Contributions

Richard West spent a lot of his career on how science is organized around the world. He also worked on sharing science with the public. He held several important jobs:

• He was the Assistant General Secretary of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) from 1979 to 1982. The IAU is a group that brings together astronomers from all over the world.
• He then became the General Secretary of the IAU from 1982 to 1985.
• He also led several IAU groups, including Commission 20 from 1988 to 1991.
• He was a member of the Executive Committee of ICSU, which is another important international science organization.

Awards and Special Recognition

Richard West has received several honors for his work:

• He won the Rosenkjaer Prize. This is a very respected award in Denmark. It is given to people who are excellent at sharing science or culture with others.
• An main-belt asteroid was named in his honor. It is called 2022 West.

See also

In Spanish: Richard Martin West para niños