Richard B. Larson, C.M.
Toronto, Ontario and New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
Richard Larson made foundational contributions to our understanding of the creation of stars and the evolution of galaxies. Professor emeritus of astronomy at Yale University, he established that when gas accumulates into a massive object, its gravitational pull attracts more matter, leading to the birth of young stars. He also laid out three fundamental correlations between the mass, size and the turbulent motions of molecular clouds, now known as the Larson Laws.