In this file photo dated Friday, April 17, 2015, a national library employee shows the gold Nobel Prize medal. The Nobel Prize in Physics will be awarded on Tuesday Oct. 5, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File
The 2021 Nobel Prize for physics is being announced Tuesday, an award that has in the past honored discoveries about fundamental forces of nature and cosmic phenomena.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences will announce the recipient at about 11:45 a.m. (0945 GMT; 5:45 a.m. EDT).
It is common for several scientists who work in related fields to share the prize. Last year, the prize went to American Andrea Ghez, Roger Penrose of Britain and Reinhard Genzel of Germany for their research into black holes.
The prestigious award comes with a gold medal and 10 million Swedish kronor (over $1.14 million). The prize money comes from a bequest left by the prize's creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, who died in 1895.
On Monday, the Nobel Committee awarded the prize in physiology or medicine to Americans David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian for their discoveries into how the human body perceives temperature and touch.
Over the coming days prizes will also be awarded for outstanding work in the fields of chemistry, literature, peace and economics.
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