Jean Félix Adolphe Gambart
Encyclopedia
Jean-Félix Adolphe Gambart (12 May 1800 – 23 July 1836) was a French
astronomer
.
He was born in Sète
in Hérault
department, the son of a sea captain. His intelligence was noticed at a young age by Alexis Bouvard
, who persuaded him to join the astronomy
profession. In 1819 he joined the Marseilles Observatory and became the director in 1822.
During his career he recorded a number of observations of the satellites of Jupiter
, and discovered a total of 13 comet
s. In 1832 he observed the transit of Mercury
across the Sun
, noting that the planet appeared deformed as it approached the edge.
He suffered from tuberculosis
, and in 1836 died from cholera
in Paris
, aged 36.
The crater Gambart
on the Moon
is named after him. He was also awarded the medal of the London Astronomy Society for his calculation of a cometary orbit.
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 was born in Sète
Sète
Sète is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France. Its inhabitants are called Sétois....
in Hérault
Hérault
Hérault is a department in the south of France named after the Hérault river.-History:Hérault is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
department, the son of a sea captain. His intelligence was noticed at a young age by Alexis Bouvard
Alexis Bouvard
Alexis Bouvard was a French astronomer. He is particularly noted for his careful observations of the irregularities in the motion of Uranus and his hypothesis of the existence of an eighth planet in the solar system.-Life:...
, who persuaded him to join the astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
profession. In 1819 he joined the Marseilles Observatory and became the director in 1822.
During his career he recorded a number of observations of the satellites of Jupiter
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...
, and discovered a total of 13 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...
s. In 1832 he observed the transit of Mercury
Transit of Mercury
A transit of Mercury across the Sun takes place when the planet Mercury comes between the Sun and the Earth, and Mercury is seen as a small black dot moving across the face of the Sun....
across the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
, noting that the planet appeared deformed as it approached the edge.
He suffered from tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
, and in 1836 died from cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
in Paris
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...
, aged 36.
The crater Gambart
Gambart (crater)
Gambart is a small lunar crater on the Mare Insularum, near the central region of the Moon. It can be located to the south-southeast of the prominent ray crater Copernicus. In the past, the floor of Gambart has been flooded with lava, leaving a relatively flat surface surrounded by a smooth but...
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. He was also awarded the medal of the London Astronomy Society for his calculation of a cometary orbit.