Neil Gehrels
American astronomer (1952-2017) · United States · On the map · Scientists · Died at 64
Cornelis A. "Neil" Gehrels was an American astrophysicist specializing in the field of gamma-ray astronomy.
Neil Gehrels is read about 42 times a day, in 10 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 8 July 2026
The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 60 days, one point a day.
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He was Chief of the Astroparticle Physics Laboratory at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) from 1995 until his death, and was best known for his work developing the field from early balloon instruments to space observatories such as the NASA Swift mission, for which he was the principal investigator. Gehrels lead the WFIRST wide-field infrared telescope towards a launch in August 2026. He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
The same award as Neil
Rashid SunyaevBoth received Bruno Rossi Prize
Hermann Carl VogelBoth received Henry Draper Medal
John HouboltBoth received NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal
Geoffrey MarcyBoth received Henry Draper Medal
Gabriela GonzálezBoth received Bruno Rossi Prize
Martin ReesBoth received Bruno Rossi Prize