The Herschel
Medal
A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...
is awarded by the
Royal Astronomical Society
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(RAS) for "investigations of outstanding merit in observational
astrophysics". It is awarded for a single piece of work so that younger scientists can be candidates for the award.
It is named after the RAS's first president,
William Herschel
Frederick William Herschel (; german: Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel; 15 November 1738 – 25 August 1822) was a German-born British astronomer and composer. He frequently collaborated with his younger sister and fellow astronomer Caroline ...
.
The medal was first awarded in 1974. From 1974 to 2004 the Herschel Medal was only awarded every three years. From 2004 the frequency was shortened to two years and from 2012 it will be awarded annually. The medal has been shared twice, in 1977 and 1986. It has been awarded 23 times to a total of 25 people (23 men, two women), mostly from the UK.
Medalists
Source
Royal Astronomical Society
See also
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List of astronomy awards
This list of astronomy awards is an index to articles about notable awards for contributions to astronomy. The list is organized by region and country of the sponsoring organization, but awards are not necessarily limited to people from that count ...
References
Awards established in 1974
Awards of the Royal Astronomical Society
1974 establishments in the United Kingdom
{{Royal Astronomical Society