Joseph-Nicolas Delisle
Encyclopedia
Joseph-Nicolas Delisle (4 April 1688 – 11 September 1768) was a French astronomer
.
, he initially followed classical studies. Soon however, he moved to astronomy
under the supervision of Joseph Lieutaud
and Jacques Cassini
. He entered the French Academy of Sciences
as pupil of Giovanni Domenico Maraldi
(1709–1788). Though he was a good scientist and member of a wealthy family he did not have much money.
His life changed radically when he was called by the Russian czar Peter the Great
to Saint Petersburg
to create and run the school of astronomy. He arrived there only in 1726, after the death of the czar. He became quite rich and famous, to such an extent that when he returned to Paris in 1747, he built his own observatory in the palace of Cluny
, later made famous by Charles Messier
. Also he received the title of Astronomer from the Academy. In Russia he prepared the map of the known North Pacific that was used by Vitus Bering
.
He was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
in 1749.
, a temperature scale he invented in 1732. The crater Delisle
on the Moon
, and the asteroid
12742 Delisle
are named after him.
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...
.
Life
He was one of the 11 sons of Claude Delisle (1644–1720). Like many of his brothers, among them Guillaume DelisleGuillaume Delisle
Guillaume Delisle was a French cartographer who lived in Paris.His father, Claude Delisle studied law and then later settled in Paris as private teacher in geography and history, and afterwards filled the office of royal censor...
, he initially followed classical studies. Soon however, he moved to astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
under the supervision of Joseph Lieutaud
Joseph Lieutaud
Joseph Lieutaud , was a French doctor.-Biography:Joseph Lieutaud started studying botany, following in the wake of his uncle, Pierre Joseph Garidel, and went on to be called upon as a doctor in the Hotel-Dieu in Aix-en-Provence...
and Jacques Cassini
Jacques Cassini
Jacques Cassini was a French astronomer, son of the famous Italian astronomer Giovanni Domenico Cassini.Cassini was born at the Paris Observatory. Admitted at the age of seventeen to membership of the French Academy of Sciences, he was elected in 1696 a fellow of the Royal Society of London, and...
. He entered 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...
as pupil of Giovanni Domenico Maraldi
Giovanni Domenico Maraldi
Giovanni Domenico Maraldi was an Italian-born astronomer, nephew of Giacomo F. Maraldi.Born at Perinaldo, Liguria, Maraldi came to Paris in 1727 and became a member of the French Academy of Sciences in 1731...
(1709–1788). Though he was a good scientist and member of a wealthy family he did not have much money.
His life changed radically when he was called by the Russian czar Peter the Great
Peter I of Russia
Peter the Great, Peter I or Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov Dates indicated by the letters "O.S." are Old Style. All other dates in this article are New Style. ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire from until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his half-brother, Ivan V...
to Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
to create and run the school of astronomy. He arrived there only in 1726, after the death of the czar. He became quite rich and famous, to such an extent that when he returned to Paris in 1747, he built his own observatory in the palace of Cluny
Cluny
Cluny or Clungy is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France. It is 20 km northwest of Mâcon.The town grew up around the Benedictine Cluny Abbey, founded by Duke William I of Aquitaine in 910...
, later made famous by Charles Messier
Charles Messier
Charles Messier was a French astronomer most notable for publishing an astronomical catalogue consisting of deep sky objects such as nebulae and star clusters that came to be known as the 110 "Messier objects"...
. Also he received the title of Astronomer from the Academy. In Russia he prepared the map of the known North Pacific that was used by Vitus Bering
Vitus Bering
Vitus Jonassen Bering Vitus Jonassen Bering Vitus Jonassen Bering (also, less correNavy]], a captain-komandor known among the Russian sailors as Ivan Ivanovich. He is noted for being the first European to discover Alaska and its Aleutian Islands...
.
He was elected a foreign 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 1749.
Legacy
Delisle is mostly known for the Delisle scaleDelisle scale
The Delisle scale is a temperature scale invented in 1732 by the French astronomer Joseph-Nicolas Delisle . Delisle was the author of Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire et aux progrès de l'Astronomie, de la Géographie et de la Physique .He had been invited to Russia by Peter the Great...
, a temperature scale he invented in 1732. The crater Delisle
Delisle (crater)
Delisle is a small lunar crater in the western part of the Mare Imbrium. It lies to the north of the crater Diophantus, and just to the northwest of the ridge designated Mons Delisle. Between Delisle and Diophantus is a sinuous rille named Rima Diophantus, with a diameter of 150 km...
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...
, and 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...
12742 Delisle
12742 Delisle
12742 Delisle is a main-belt asteroid discovered on July 26, 1992 by E. W. Elst at Caussols.- External links :*...
are named after him.