About
Camille Flammarion, born in 1842 in Montigny-le-Roi, was a major French astronomer and writer. Hired as an apprentice at the Paris Observatory at age 16, he published his first work, The Plurality of Inhabited Worlds, in 1862, arguing for the existence of extraterrestrial life. His book Popular Astronomy (1880) was a huge success. He founded the magazine L'Astronomie in 1882, then the French Astronomical Society in 1887. Based at his Juvisy-sur-Orge observatory, he conducted work in meteorology, planetology, and science fiction. He also took an interest in psychical research. He died in 1925.
* 1842-02-26 — † 1925-06-03
Major works
- La Pluralité des mondes habités (1862)essay
- Astronomie populaire (1880)popular science book
- L'Atmosphère : météorologie populaire (1888)popular science book
- La Planète Mars et ses conditions d'habitabilité (1892)scientific study
- La Fin du monde (1893)science fiction novel
Key milestones
- 1858Hired as an apprentice astronomer at the Paris Observatory by Urbain Le Verrier.
- 1887Founded the Société Astronomique de France, serving as its first president.
- 1922Elevated to Commander of the Legion of Honour.
Themes
plurality of inhabited worldspopularization of astronomymeteorologyscience fictionpsychical research
Sources: collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk · saf-astronomie.fr · preview-www.nature.com