MG 12 · 2009
Jaan Einasto
Jaan Einasto is an astrophysicist associated with dark matter studies and the large-scale structure known as the cosmic web.
Born
1929, Tartu, Estonia
Affiliation at the Time of the Award
Tartu Observatory, Toravere, Estonia
Prize Motivation
“For pioneering contributions in the discovery of dark matter and cosmic web and fostering research in the historical Tartu Observatory.”
Meeting
MG XII, Paris, France
Work
Dark matter and the cosmic web define the mass distribution that controls galaxy formation on the largest scales.
Einasto contributed to evidence for massive dark halos and to mapping superclusters and filamentary cosmic structure.
His work helped shift cosmology toward a universe dominated by unseen matter organized in a web-like large-scale pattern.