ASTRONOMER
Michel Mayor
1942 - Today
Michel Mayor
Michel Gustave Édouard Mayor (French pronunciation: [miʃɛl majɔʁ]; born 12 January 1942) is a Swiss astrophysicist and professor emeritus at the University of Geneva's Department of Astronomy. He formally retired in 2007, but remains active as a researcher at the Observatory of Geneva. Read more on Wikipedia
Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Michel Mayor has received more than 319,086 page views. His biography is available in 62 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 59 in 2019). Michel Mayor is the 35th most popular astronomer (up from 36th in 2019), the 58th most popular biography from Switzerland (down from 50th in 2019) and the most popular Swiss Astronomer.
Michel Mayor is most famous for being the first astronomer to discover a planet outside of our solar system.
Memorability Metrics
320k
Page Views (PV)
71.00
Historical Popularity Index (HPI)
62
Languages Editions (L)
13.97
Effective Languages (L*)
2.90
Coefficient of Variation (CV)
Among ASTRONOMERS
Among astronomers, Michel Mayor ranks 35 out of 644. Before him are Caroline Herschel, Johannes Hevelius, Johann Gottfried Galle, Wilhelm Schickard, Martin Ryle, and Adolphe Quetelet. After him are Jamshīd al-Kāshī, Arthur Eddington, Fred Hoyle, Robert Woodrow Wilson, Giovanni Schiaparelli, and Jan Oort.
Most Popular Astronomers in Wikipedia
Go to all RankingsCaroline Herschel
1750 - 1848
HPI: 72.55
Rank: 29
Johannes Hevelius
1611 - 1687
HPI: 72.17
Rank: 30
Johann Gottfried Galle
1812 - 1910
HPI: 71.77
Rank: 31
Wilhelm Schickard
1592 - 1635
HPI: 71.39
Rank: 32
Martin Ryle
1918 - 1984
HPI: 71.27
Rank: 33
Adolphe Quetelet
1796 - 1874
HPI: 71.19
Rank: 34
Michel Mayor
1942 - Present
HPI: 71.00
Rank: 35
Jamshīd al-Kāshī
1380 - 1429
HPI: 70.93
Rank: 36
Arthur Eddington
1882 - 1944
HPI: 70.81
Rank: 37
Fred Hoyle
1915 - 2001
HPI: 70.62
Rank: 38
Robert Woodrow Wilson
1936 - Present
HPI: 70.42
Rank: 39
Giovanni Schiaparelli
1835 - 1910
HPI: 70.26
Rank: 40
Jan Oort
1900 - 1992
HPI: 70.17
Rank: 41
Contemporaries
Among people born in 1942, Michel Mayor ranks 38. Before him are José Eduardo dos Santos, Lou Reed, Ian McShane, Mohamed ElBaradei, Giorgio Agamben, and Tobin Bell. After him are Giacinto Facchetti, Jacques Rogge, Bob Hoskins, Jochen Rindt, László Sólyom, and John Irving.
Others Born in 1942
Go to all RankingsJosé Eduardo dos Santos
POLITICIAN
1942 - 2022
HPI: 72.20
Rank: 32
Lou Reed
MUSICIAN
1942 - 2013
HPI: 71.99
Rank: 33
Ian McShane
ACTOR
1942 - Present
HPI: 71.92
Rank: 34
Mohamed ElBaradei
DIPLOMAT
1942 - Present
HPI: 71.69
Rank: 35
Giorgio Agamben
PHILOSOPHER
1942 - Present
HPI: 71.48
Rank: 36
Tobin Bell
ACTOR
1942 - Present
HPI: 71.25
Rank: 37
Michel Mayor
ASTRONOMER
1942 - Present
HPI: 71.00
Rank: 38
Giacinto Facchetti
SOCCER PLAYER
1942 - 2006
HPI: 70.87
Rank: 39
Jacques Rogge
PHYSICIAN
1942 - 2021
HPI: 70.86
Rank: 40
Bob Hoskins
ACTOR
1942 - 2014
HPI: 70.75
Rank: 41
Jochen Rindt
RACING DRIVER
1942 - 1970
HPI: 70.70
Rank: 42
László Sólyom
POLITICIAN
1942 - 2023
HPI: 70.64
Rank: 43
John Irving
WRITER
1942 - Present
HPI: 70.43
Rank: 44
In Switzerland
Among people born in Switzerland, Michel Mayor ranks 58 out of 1,015. Before him are Hans Albert Einstein (1904), Niklaus Wirth (1934), Henry Fuseli (1741), Johann Jakob Balmer (1825), Gabriel Cramer (1704), and Albert I of Germany (1255). After him are Aga Khan IV (1936), Paul Hermann Müller (1899), H. R. Giger (1940), Daniel Bovet (1907), Emil Jannings (1884), and Walter Rudolf Hess (1881).
Others born in Switzerland
Go to all RankingsHans Albert Einstein
ENGINEER
1904 - 1973
HPI: 71.13
Rank: 52
Niklaus Wirth
COMPUTER SCIENTIST
1934 - 2024
HPI: 71.12
Rank: 53
Henry Fuseli
PAINTER
1741 - 1825
HPI: 71.12
Rank: 54
Johann Jakob Balmer
PHYSICIST
1825 - 1898
HPI: 71.08
Rank: 55
Gabriel Cramer
MATHEMATICIAN
1704 - 1752
HPI: 71.06
Rank: 56
Albert I of Germany
NOBLEMAN
1255 - 1308
HPI: 71.05
Rank: 57
Michel Mayor
ASTRONOMER
1942 - Present
HPI: 71.00
Rank: 58
Aga Khan IV
BUSINESSPERSON
1936 - Present
HPI: 70.82
Rank: 59
Paul Hermann Müller
CHEMIST
1899 - 1965
HPI: 70.64
Rank: 60
H. R. Giger
PAINTER
1940 - 2014
HPI: 70.46
Rank: 61
Daniel Bovet
BIOLOGIST
1907 - 1992
HPI: 70.18
Rank: 62
Emil Jannings
ACTOR
1884 - 1950
HPI: 70.14
Rank: 63
Walter Rudolf Hess
PHYSICIAN
1881 - 1973
HPI: 70.11
Rank: 64
Among ASTRONOMERS In Switzerland
Among astronomers born in Switzerland, Michel Mayor ranks 1. After him are Jean Philippe Loys de Cheseaux (1718), Rudolf Wolf (1816), Paul Wild (1925), Didier Queloz (1966), Johann III Bernoulli (1744), Nicolas Fatio de Duillier (1664), Robert Julius Trumpler (1886), and Robert Emden (1862).
Michel Mayor
1942 - Present
HPI: 71.00
Rank: 1
Jean Philippe Loys de Cheseaux
1718 - 1751
HPI: 62.59
Rank: 2
Rudolf Wolf
1816 - 1893
HPI: 61.05
Rank: 3
Paul Wild
1925 - 2014
HPI: 59.03
Rank: 4
Didier Queloz
1966 - Present
HPI: 57.55
Rank: 5
Johann III Bernoulli
1744 - 1807
HPI: 56.49
Rank: 6
Nicolas Fatio de Duillier
1664 - 1753
HPI: 56.30
Rank: 7
Robert Julius Trumpler
1886 - 1956
HPI: 53.44
Rank: 8
Robert Emden
1862 - 1940
HPI: 53.27
Rank: 9