Crafoord Prize in Astronomy
Lectures from the Crafoord Prize Symposia in Astronomy, hosted by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The Crafoord Prize complements the Nobel Prize by recognizing fields not covered by the Nobel — including astronomy and mathematics.
19
Lectures
4
Laureates
2
Symposia
2022–2024
Span
About This Course
The Crafoord Prize in Astronomy is awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to recognize outstanding contributions in astronomy and mathematics — fields that complement the Nobel Prizes. Established in 1980 through a donation by Holger Crafoord, the prize is one of the most prestigious awards in these disciplines.
This collection features two landmark symposia: the 2024 prize for asteroseismology (Gough, Christensen-Dalsgaard & Aerts) and the 2020 prize honoring the late Eugene N. Parker for his theoretical predictions of the solar wind and magnetic field behavior in the heliosphere (symposium held 2022).
Together, these lectures span the physics of stellar interiors and stellar atmospheres — from the oscillation modes that probe the deep cores of stars, to the magnetic fields, solar wind, and cosmic rays that shape the space environment around them.
Symposia
Listening to the Stars — Asteroseismology
The 2024 Crafoord Prize Symposium brought together the three laureates and nine invited speakers to explore how stellar oscillations reveal the interior structure of stars — from our own Sun to distant exoplanet hosts and the stars that compose the Milky Way.
Laureates: Douglas Gough, Jørgen Christensen-Dalsgaard, Conny Aerts
12 lectures including laureate talks and invited presentations
Solar Wind & Magnetic Fields in Space
Honoring the late Eugene N. Parker, this symposium explored the solar wind, coronal magnetic fields, stellar magnetism, the Parker Solar Probe mission, galactic magnetic fields, cosmic rays, and the heliospheric boundary probed by Voyager.
Laureate: Eugene N. Parker (posthumous, presented by Boon Chye Low)
7 lectures including the laureate memorial talk and invited presentations
What You'll Learn
Helioseismology
How solar oscillations reveal the Sun's internal structure, rotation, and dynamics.
Asteroseismology Methods
Techniques for measuring stellar oscillation frequencies and extracting physical parameters.
Stellar Interiors
Internal structures of low-mass, intermediate-mass, and massive stars probed through oscillations.
Solar Wind & Corona
Parker's theoretical framework for the solar wind and the physics of coronal magnetic fields and current sheets.
Galactic Magnetic Fields
Observations and theory of magnetic fields in the Milky Way and nearby galaxies, and their role in cosmic ray transport.
Heliospheric Exploration
The Parker Solar Probe, Voyager missions, and future Interstellar Probe exploring the boundary of our solar system.
All lectures are sourced from the official Nobel Prize YouTube channel.
Watch Full Playlist on YouTubeAbout the Crafoord Prize
The Crafoord Prize was established in 1980 by Holger Crafoord, a Swedish industrialist, and his wife Anna-Greta Crafoord. Administered by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, it is awarded annually (rotating between disciplines) in mathematics, astronomy, the geosciences, and the biosciences — fields not covered by the Nobel Prizes.
The prize is valued at 6 million Swedish kronor (approximately $600,000 USD) and is presented by the King of Sweden. In astronomy, previous laureates include Allan Sandage (2005), Charles Bennett and Lyman Page (2018), and the 2024 laureates recognized for asteroseismology.