Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 15 March 1713 Rumigny, France |
| Died | 21 March 1762 (aged 49) Paris, France |
| Citizenship | French |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy |
Abbé Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille (French: [nikɔla lwi də lakaj]; 15 March 1713 – 21 March 1762),[3] formerly sometimes spelled de la Caille, was a French astronomer and geodesist who named 14 out of the 88 constellations. From 1750 to 1754, he studied the sky at the Cape of Good Hope in present-day South Africa. Lacaille observed over 10,000 stars using a refracting telescope.[4]
- ^ Hockey, Thomas; et al. (2007). The Biographical Dictionary of Astronomers. Springer Publishing. p. 665. ISBN 978-0-387-31022-0.
- ^ Boquet, F. (1913). "Le Bicentenaire de Lacaille". L'Astronomie. 27: 457–473. Bibcode:1913LAstr..27..457B. (See page 459.)
- ^ The traditional birth date of 15 March 1713 has been questioned due to many infants of the Catholic Church being baptised on the day of their birth in the 17th and 18th centuries.[1] His baptism date is 15 December 1713; babies were normally baptised on the day that they were born.[2]
- ^ "Abbé Nicolas Louis de Lacaille". astro.wisc.edu. University of Wisconsin–Madison. Retrieved 18 February 2019.