Richard Martin West facts for kids

Richard Martin West (born in 1941) is a Danish astronomer. He has had a long and important career at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and the International Astronomical Union (IAU). He is famous for discovering many objects in space, like comets and small planets.

He found several comets, including Comet West (C/1975 V1), which was one of the brightest comets people saw in the 1970s. He also discovered two periodic comets, which are comets that return regularly: 76P/West–Kohoutek–Ikemura and 123P/West–Hartley.

Richard West is also known for finding 40 minor planets between 1976 and 1986. These include 2146 Stentor and 2148 Epeios, which are special types of asteroids called Trojan asteroids. He also helped discover the Phoenix Dwarf galaxy with another astronomer, Hans-Emil Schuster.

Early Life and Education

Richard West was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1941. He finished high school in 1959. Then, in 1964, he earned a degree in astronomy and astrophysics from the University of Copenhagen. This means he studied stars, planets, and how the universe works.

Career at ESO

Richard West started working at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in 1970. He began as an Assistant Astronomer to the Director General, Adriaan Blaauw. His career really took off in 1972. He was put in charge of one of ESO's first and biggest science projects. This project was called the Sky Atlas Laboratory. Its goal was to create detailed maps of the southern part of the sky.

In the early 1990s, after big political changes in Eastern Europe, Richard West played a key role. He helped ESO work closely with scientists in these countries. He made sure they could still do important research together.

Richard West retired in 2005. He had worked continuously at ESO for many years, helping to explore the universe.

Important Roles in Astronomy

Besides his scientific work, Richard West spent a lot of time helping to organize the international science community. He also worked on sharing science with the public. He held several important positions:

• He was the Assistant General Secretary of the IAU from 1979 to 1982.
• He then became the General Secretary of the IAU from 1982 to 1985.
• He led several IAU groups, including Commission 20 from 1988 to 1991.
• He was also a member of the Executive Committee of ICSU, which is another important science organization.

Awards and Honors

Richard West has received special recognition for his work:

• He won the Rosenkjaer Prize. This is a very important award in Denmark. It is given to people who are excellent at sharing science or culture with others.
• A small planet in the main asteroid belt was named after him. It is called 2022 West.

Discoveries of Minor Planets

Richard West discovered 40 minor planets. These are small objects that orbit the Sun, mostly found between Mars and Jupiter. Some of the minor planets he discovered include:

• 2052 Tamriko
• 2145 Blaauw
• 2146 Stentor (a Trojan asteroid)
• 2148 Epeios (another Trojan asteroid)
• 2187 La Silla (named after the ESO observatory)
• 2935 Naerum
• 3004 Knud
• 3933 Portugal
• 5890 Carlsberg
• 8993 Ingstad
• 10462 Saxogrammaticus

See also

In Spanish: Richard Martin West para niños