天文学奖
2015

2015年度邵逸夫天文学奬颁予威廉•伯鲁奇(William J Borucki)，以表彰他构思及领导开普勒计划；这计划大大增进了对太阳系外行星系及恒星内部的认识。他是美国宇航局艾姆斯研究中心开普勒计划首席研究员。

1984年，威廉•伯鲁奇和奥德丽•萨默斯发表论文，评估以凌星测光法探测太阳系外行星系的可能性。其主要概念是同时监测许多恒星的亮度。行星横过观察者(地球)与其寄主星之间的视线时，使所见的寄主星亮度轻微减少，这就是行星存在的证据。亮度减少的现象周期性出现，相隔时间正好就是行星的公转周期，这周期性特徵有利分辨寄主星亮度起伏的其他原因。凌星现象的深度决定了行星与其寄主星的面积比率。威廉•伯鲁奇和奥德丽•萨默斯强调，若要检测约地球大小的行星，必须於大气层上方能观察得到。

Thirty years ago, William Borucki and Audrey Summers published a paper assessing the potential for detecting extrasolar planetary systems by transit photometry. The key concept is to simultaneously monitor the brightness of a large number of stars with a high-precision photometer. Planets are revealed by the dips in brightness they produce when they pass in front of (transit) their host stars. Successive transits by a planet are spaced by its orbit period, which helps to distinguish transits from other sources of stellar variability. Transit depths determine the ratio of the planet’s surface area to that of its host star. Borucki and Summers emphasized that detection of Earth-size planets would require observations from above the atmosphere.

Subsequently, Borucki began a long quest to develop a suitable photometer and to convince the astronomical community and the US National Space and Aeronautics Administration (NASA) that a modest space mission could discover planets potentially capable of harbouring life. Four proposals submitted between 1992 and 1998 were rejected before the fifth was selected in December 2001 as Discovery Mission #10. Mission development began in 2002 and launch occurred in March 2009.