Félix Savary
Encyclopedia
Félix Savary, who was born on October 4, 1797 in Paris
and died on July 15, 1841 in Estagel
, was a French
astronomer
.
He studied at the École Polytechnique
, where he was later a professor of astronomy
. He was a librarian at the Bureau des Longitudes
between 1823 and 1829, and was elected to the French Academy of Sciences
on December 24, 1832.
In his works Mémoire sur les orbites des étoiles doubles and Sur la détermination des orbites que décrivent autour de leur centre de gravité deux étoiles très rapprochées l'une de l'autre, published in 1827, he was the first to use observations of a visual binary star
to calculate the orbit of one star about the other. He applied his method to the star ξ Ursae Majoris.
He worked with Ampère
, publishing in 1823 the work Mémoire sur l'application du calcul aux phénomènes électro-dynamiques.
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and died on July 15, 1841 in Estagel
Estagel
Estagel is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.-References:*...
, was a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
.
He studied at the École Polytechnique
École Polytechnique
The École Polytechnique is a state-run institution of higher education and research in Palaiseau, Essonne, France, near Paris. Polytechnique is renowned for its four year undergraduate/graduate Master's program...
, where he was later a professor of astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
. He was a librarian at the Bureau des Longitudes
Bureau des Longitudes
The Bureau des Longitudes is a French scientific institution, founded by decree of 25 June 1795 and charged with the improvement of nautical navigation, standardisation of time-keeping, geodesy and astronomical observation. During the 19th century, it was responsible for synchronizing clocks...
between 1823 and 1829, and was elected to the French Academy of Sciences
French Academy of Sciences
The French Academy of Sciences is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research...
on December 24, 1832.
In his works Mémoire sur les orbites des étoiles doubles and Sur la détermination des orbites que décrivent autour de leur centre de gravité deux étoiles très rapprochées l'une de l'autre, published in 1827, he was the first to use observations of a visual binary star
Binary star
A binary star is a star system consisting of two stars orbiting around their common center of mass. The brighter star is called the primary and the other is its companion star, comes, or secondary...
to calculate the orbit of one star about the other. He applied his method to the star ξ Ursae Majoris.
He worked with Ampère
André-Marie Ampère
André-Marie Ampère was a French physicist and mathematician who is generally regarded as one of the main discoverers of electromagnetism. The SI unit of measurement of electric current, the ampere, is named after him....
, publishing in 1823 the work Mémoire sur l'application du calcul aux phénomènes électro-dynamiques.