Hubert Reeves, renowned astrophysicist and popularizer, died this Friday, October 13 at the age of 91.
Born in 1932 in Montreal, science popularizer Hubert Reeves had a passion for the stars since his early childhood. In 1960, after studying at the University of Montreal and McGill, he obtained his doctorate in nuclear astrophysics from Cornell University, in the United States. During his long career, he had the opportunity to teach cosmology in many countries, in addition to having been a consultant for NASA. In France, he even became research director at the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and advisor to the Atomic Energy Commission (CEA).
After having managed to pass on his passion to the generations who came after him, in particular because of his talents in popularizing the cosmos, the man who compared human beings to stardust has left us.
Hubert Reeves passed away this Friday, October 13
This Friday, October 13, 2023, around 3 p.m., Hubert Reeves died at the age of 91 in Paris. His thread, Benoît Reeves, also made the announcement on Facebook: “ My whole family joins me in the pain of having to announce to you that our dear father left to join the stars today. “. In the columns of France InfoBenoît added this: “ He left in peace, to join the stars. A quiet death, at 3:15 p.m. “.
On social networks, many journalists and political figures were quick to pay tribute to him for the numerous works accomplished during his long life. The man was known for knowing how to communicate his passion and his knowledge with great fervor.
Still according to our colleagues from France InfoFrançois Legault, the Prime Minister of Quebec, described Hubert Reeves as “ an outstanding popularizer » And “ a renowned astrophysicist “, able to ” find the words to make us understand humanity and infinity “.
A man who gave his time to advance science
Hubert Reeves is renowned for having been the author of numerous books. We can in particular cite “ Patience in the azure ” (nineteen eighty one), ” Stardust » (1984), « Time to get drunk : does the universe have meaning? » (1986) or even « Latest news from the cosmos » (1994). He also contributed to the production of several documentaries, including “ Star Storyteller ” And ” From the Big Bang to the Living », released in 2002 and 2010 respectively. Also known for his public speaking engagements, the astrophysicist has given no less than 2,500 conferences around the world.
Retired since 1999, Hubert Reeves gave of himself until his death to advance research. He also devoted the last years of his life to defending the environment. In 2018, his friend Michel Cassé, also an astrophysicist, summed up the career of Hubert Reeves in a very beautiful way: “ After skimming the sky, he became passionate about the Earth »…
Source : France Info
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