Evolution of the universe and Earth’s place in cosmos – The 2019 Nobel Prize for Physics

Abstract

This was an unusual Nobel prize in that it was awarded ‘for contributions to our understanding of the evolution of the universe and Earth’s place in the cosmos’. This is a broad area which could include almost anything in astronomy. James Peebles was awarded one half of the Prize ‘for theoretical discoveries in physical cosmology’ which was really a recognition of a lifetime of work while Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz won the other half of the Prize ‘for the discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star’: a very specific if notable discovery. While undeniably deserved, either award could have been given anytime in the last 25 years for the exoplanet discoveries and 50 years for the cosmology work.