Hubert Reeves

Hubert Reeves (July 13, 1932 – October 13, 2023) was a French-Canadian astrophysicist and popularizer of science.

Early life and education Reeves was born in Montreal on July 13, 1932, and as a child lived in Léry. Reeves attended Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf, a prestigious French-language college in Montreal. He obtained a BSc degree in physics from the Université de Montréal in 1953, an MSc degree from McGill University in 1956 with a thesis entitled "Formation of Positronium in Hydrogen and Helium" and a PhD degree at Cornell University in 1960.

Career From 1960 to 1964, he taught physics at the Université de Montréal and worked as an adviser to NASA. He became a Director of Research at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in 1965.

Personal life and death Reeves often spoke on television, promoting science. He was married to Francine Brunel-Reeves and they had four children together. He resided in Paris, France, where he died on October 13, 2023, at the age of 91.

Honours and recognition In 1976, he was made Knight of the Ordre national du Mérite (France). In 1986, he was made Knight of the Légion d'Honneur (France). He was promoted to Officer in 1994 and to Commander in 2003. In 1991, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and was promoted to Companion in 2003. In 1994, he was made Officer of the National Order of Quebec. He was promoted to Grand Officer in 2017. Asteroid 9631 Hubertreeves is named after Reeves: see Meanings of asteroid names (9501-10000). In 2001, he received the Albert Einstein Medal for research on the density of the universe. In 2011, the Prix Hubert-Reeves was created. In 2019, he received the Prix Jules Janssen, the highest award of the Société astronomique de France.

Selected publications

Reeves, Hubert; Boutinot, Nelly; Casanave, Daniel; Champion, Claire (2017). Hubert Reeves nous explique la biodiversité. Bruxelles: Le Lombard. . Reeves, Hubert; Boutinot, Nelly; Casanave, Daniel; Champion, Claire (2018). Hubert Reeves nous explique la forêt. Bruxelles: Le Lombard. . Reeves, Hubert; Vandermeulen, David; Casanave, Daniel (2019). Hubert Reeves nous explique les océans. Bruxelles: Le Lombard. . Reeves, Hubert, Michel Cassé, Étienne Klein, Marc Lachièze-Rey, Roland Lehoucq, Jean-Pierre Luminet, Nathalie Palanque-Delabrouille, Nicolas Prantzos, and Sylvie Vauclair. (2019). Petite histoire de la matière et de l'univers.