Félix Tisserand
Encyclopedia
François Félix Tisserand (January 13, 1845 - October 20, 1896) was a French astronomer
.
Tisserand was born at Nuits-Saint-Georges
, Côte-d'Or
. In 1863 he entered the École Normale Supérieure, and on leaving he went for a month as professor at the lycée at Metz
. Urbain Le Verrier offered him a post in the Paris Observatory
, which he entered as astronome adjoint in September 1866. In 1868 he took his doctor's degree with a thesis on Delaunay's
Method, which he showed to be of much wider scope than had been contemplated by its inventor. Shortly afterwards he went out to Malacca
to observe the solar eclipse of August 18, 1868.
In 1873 he was appointed director of the observatory
at Toulouse
, where he published his Recueil d'exercices sur le calcul infinitesimal, and in 1874 became corresponding member of the Académie des Sciences
. He took part in the French expeditions of 1874 to Japan, and in 1882 to Martinique
to observe the transits of Venus
. In 1878 he was elected a member of the Académie des Sciences in succession to Le Verrier, and became a member of the Bureau des Longitudes
. In the same year he was appointed professeur suppliant to Liouville
, and in 1883 he succeeded Puiseux
in the chair of celestial mechanics
at the Sorbonne
.
Tisserand always found time to continue his important researches in mathematical astronomy, and the pages of the Comptes rendus bear witness to his activity. His writings relate to almost every branch of celestial mechanics, and are always distinguished by rigour and simplicity in the solution of the most difficult problems. He treated in a masterly manner (Bulletin astronomique, 1889) the theory of the capture of comets by the larger planets, and in this connection published his valuable Criterion for establishing the identity of a periodic comet
, whatever may have been the perturbations brought about in its orbit, between successive appearances, by the action of a planet.
His principal work, Traité de mécanique céleste, is the most lasting monument to his memory, and is worthy to stand beside the Mécanique céleste of his fellow-countryman, Laplace
. In this treatise, published in four quarto volumes, the last of which appeared only a few months before his death, he fused into one harmonious whole the researches of Laplace and those of other workers in the same field since his time. It furnishes a faithful and complete résumé of the state of knowledge in that department of astronomy at the end, as Laplace's great work did for the beginning, of the 19th century.
In 1892 he succeeded Mouchez
as director of the Paris Observatory, and as president of the committee of the photographic chart of the heavens he contributed largely to the success of that great project. Under his direction the revision of Lalande's catalogue was brought almost to completion, and four volumes of the Annales de l'Observatoire de Paris exhibit the progress made in this important undertaking. He was also editor of the Bulletin astronomique from the beginning, and contributed many important articles to its pages. He died suddenly, in the fullness of his power, of congestion of the brain.
He was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
in 1892.
The crater Tisserand
on the Moon
is named after him, as is the asteroid
3663 Tisserand
.
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...
.
Tisserand was born at Nuits-Saint-Georges
Nuits-Saint-Georges
Nuits-Saint-Georges is a commune in the arrondissement of Beaune of the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France. It lies in the Burgundy region.-Wine:Nuits-Saint-Georges is the main town of the Côte de Nuits wine-producing area of Burgundy...
, Côte-d'Or
Côte-d'Or
Côte-d'Or is a department in the eastern part of France.- History :Côte-d'Or is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was formed from part of the former province of Burgundy.- Geography :...
. In 1863 he entered the École Normale Supérieure, and on leaving he went for a month as professor at the lycée at Metz
Metz
Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...
. Urbain Le Verrier offered him a post in the Paris Observatory
Paris Observatory
The Paris Observatory is the foremost astronomical observatory of France, and one of the largest astronomical centres in the world...
, which he entered as astronome adjoint in September 1866. In 1868 he took his doctor's degree with a thesis on Delaunay's
Charles-Eugène Delaunay
Charles-Eugène Delaunay was a French astronomer and mathematician. His lunar motion studies were important in advancing both the theory of planetary motion and mathematics.-Life:...
Method, which he showed to be of much wider scope than had been contemplated by its inventor. Shortly afterwards he went out to Malacca
Malacca
Malacca , dubbed The Historic State or Negeri Bersejarah among locals) is the third smallest Malaysian state, after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, on the Straits of Malacca. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and the state of Johor to the south...
to observe the solar eclipse of August 18, 1868.
In 1873 he was appointed director of the observatory
Observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...
at Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
, where he published his Recueil d'exercices sur le calcul infinitesimal, and in 1874 became corresponding member of the Académie des 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...
. He took part in the French expeditions of 1874 to Japan, and in 1882 to Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
to observe the transits of Venus
Transit of Venus
A transit of Venus across the Sun takes place when the planet Venus passes directly between the Sun and Earth, becoming visible against the solar disk. During a transit, Venus can be seen from Earth as a small black disk moving across the face of the Sun...
. In 1878 he was elected a member of the Académie des Sciences in succession to Le Verrier, and became a member of 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...
. In the same year he was appointed professeur suppliant to Liouville
Joseph Liouville
- Life and work :Liouville graduated from the École Polytechnique in 1827. After some years as an assistant at various institutions including the Ecole Centrale Paris, he was appointed as professor at the École Polytechnique in 1838...
, and in 1883 he succeeded Puiseux
Pierre Puiseux
Pierre Henri Puiseux was a French astronomer.Born in Paris, son of Victor Puiseux, he was educated at the Ecole Normale Supérieure before starting work as an astronomer at the Paris Observatory in 1885....
in the chair of celestial mechanics
Celestial mechanics
Celestial mechanics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the motions of celestial objects. The field applies principles of physics, historically classical mechanics, to astronomical objects such as stars and planets to produce ephemeris data. Orbital mechanics is a subfield which focuses on...
at the Sorbonne
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
.
Tisserand always found time to continue his important researches in mathematical astronomy, and the pages of the Comptes rendus bear witness to his activity. His writings relate to almost every branch of celestial mechanics, and are always distinguished by rigour and simplicity in the solution of the most difficult problems. He treated in a masterly manner (Bulletin astronomique, 1889) the theory of the capture of comets by the larger planets, and in this connection published his valuable Criterion for establishing the identity of a periodic comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
, whatever may have been the perturbations brought about in its orbit, between successive appearances, by the action of a planet.
His principal work, Traité de mécanique céleste, is the most lasting monument to his memory, and is worthy to stand beside the Mécanique céleste of his fellow-countryman, Laplace
Pierre-Simon Laplace
Pierre-Simon, marquis de Laplace was a French mathematician and astronomer whose work was pivotal to the development of mathematical astronomy and statistics. He summarized and extended the work of his predecessors in his five volume Mécanique Céleste...
. In this treatise, published in four quarto volumes, the last of which appeared only a few months before his death, he fused into one harmonious whole the researches of Laplace and those of other workers in the same field since his time. It furnishes a faithful and complete résumé of the state of knowledge in that department of astronomy at the end, as Laplace's great work did for the beginning, of the 19th century.
In 1892 he succeeded Mouchez
Amédée Mouchez
Amédée Ernest Barthélemy Mouchez was a French naval officer who became director of the Paris Observatory and launched the ill-fated Carte du Ciel project in 1887.-Life:...
as director of the Paris Observatory, and as president of the committee of the photographic chart of the heavens he contributed largely to the success of that great project. Under his direction the revision of Lalande's catalogue was brought almost to completion, and four volumes of the Annales de l'Observatoire de Paris exhibit the progress made in this important undertaking. He was also editor of the Bulletin astronomique from the beginning, and contributed many important articles to its pages. He died suddenly, in the fullness of his power, of congestion of the brain.
He was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences or Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. The Academy is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization which acts to promote the sciences, primarily the natural sciences and mathematics.The Academy was founded on 2...
in 1892.
The crater Tisserand
Tisserand (crater)
Tisserand is a lunar crater that is located just to the east of the larger crater Macrobius, to the northwest of the Mare Crisium.The rim of Tisserand has been eroded by impacts, with depressions in the southern and northeastern sides, and a nearly tangential curving valley cutting into the inner...
on the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
is named after him, as is the asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
3663 Tisserand
3663 Tisserand
3663 Tisserand is a main-belt asteroid discovered on April 15, 1985 by E. Bowell at Flagstaff .- External links :*...
.