Joseph Jerome Lefrançois de Lalande

Biography

His/her parents send it to Paris to study the Droit there. It places in the capital with the Cluny Hotel, where Joseph-Nicolas Delisle (1688-1768) installed an observatory. Lalande discovers the Astronomie then and becomes a dedicated pupil and Favori of Delisle as well as Pierre Charles Monnier (1715-1799).

After the end of its studies, it goes back to Borough-in-Bresse to exert the lawyer trade. Monnier obtains the permission to send Lalande to Berlin to observe the lunar Parallaxe there (in other words the distance the Ground-moon), simultaneously, the abbot Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille (1713-1762) made in the same way with the Cape. The success of its mission makes it enter to the Academy of Science of Berlin at 21 years. It obtains a station of assistant in Paris and it is elected member of the Academy of Science in 1753. It founds the Société of emulation of Ain in 1755 and it is elected member of the Académie of Rouen on March 4th 1761.

Being devoted to the study of the Planet S of the Solar system, it publishes in 1759 a corrected edition of the tables of Edmond Halley (1656-1742), to which it adds a history of the Halley's Comet who is observable this year. With the assistance of Alexis Clairaut and Nicole-Queen Lepaute, it calculates of them the date of return and the elements orbital.

In 1762, Delisle resigns of its pulpit of astronomy to the Collège de France in favor of Lalande which occupies this function 46 years. Its house becomes a school of astronomy, its pupils count Jean-Baptiste Joseph Delambre (1749-1822), Giuseppe Piazzi (1746-1826), Pierre Méchain (1744-1804) like his own nephew Michel Lefrançois de Lalande (1766-1839). It uses many amateurs to calculate its éphémérides more quickly. Its fame comes from its work on the orbit of Venus in 1769, but its difficult character is worth many enmities to him. In 1768, it enters to the maconnic cabin of the Grand the East of France. In 1778, temporarily forsaking stars for hydrology, it writes " , And especially Channel Ship canals of Languedoc" , sett paving on the inland navigation in all times and on all the continents which still makes authority, devoting a third of the work to the Canal of the South, already presented like an exemplary realization. In 1795, it takes part in the creation of the Bureau of longitudes with the abbot Gregoire.

Lalande largely contributes to popularize astronomy. It makes appear of 1789 to 1798 its French celestial Histoire where it describes 50 000 stars. He is also the author of a chronicle of sciences of his time (two volumes, astronomical Bibliographie , 1804). He founds, in 1802, a price intended to reward work for astronomers, the Prix Lalande.

Homages

Its name is registered on the Eiffel Tower.
a college of Borough-in-Bresse bears its name, the Lycée Lalande
a street of XIVe district of Paris bears its name.

Principal work

Treated astronomy (two volumes, 1764, increased in four volumes, of 1771 to 1781, a third edition in three volumes, 1792).
Astronomy of the ladies (1785).
Shortened navigation (1793).
French celestial History (1801).
astronomical Bibliography (1803).
Voyage of French in Italy (1769), report of its voyage in 1765 - 1766.
Of the Ship canals, and especially of the Channel of Languedoc (1778)

It presents more than 150 articles in front of the Academy of Science.

Others

The painter Jean-Honore Fragonard made his portrait of it.

Sources

Boistel Guy, Jerome Lalande, first media astronomer , geniuses of science, n° 32, August-October 2007, pp. 10-13

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