Camille Flammarion 664075 222565538 2008-06-30T00:55:57Z Nihil novi 4062893 /* Life */ Added a picture. [[Image:Camille Flammarion.jpg|thumb|Camille Flammarion]] '''Nicolas Camille Flammarion''' ([[February 26]] [[1842]] &ndash; [[June 3]] [[1925]]) was a [[France|French]] [[astronomer]] and author. He is commonly referred to as '''Camille Flammarion'''. == Life == Camille Flammarion was born in [[Montigny-le-Roi]], [[Haute-Marne]], France. He was the brother of [[Ernest Flammarion]] (1846-1936), founder of the [[Groupe Flammarion]] publishing house. He was a prolific author of more than fifty titles, including [[popular science]] works about [[astronomy]], several notable early [[science fiction]] novels, and several works about [[Spiritualism (religious movement)|Spiritualism]] and related topics. He also published the magazine ''L'Astronomie'', starting in 1882. He maintained a private observatory at [[Juvisy-sur-Orge]], France. He was a founder and the first president of the ''Société Astronomique de France'', which originally had its own independent journal, ''BSAF'' (''Bulletin de la Société astronomique de France''), first published in 1887. In January, 1895, after 13 volumes of ''L'Astronomie'' and 8 of ''BSAF'', the two merged, making ''L'Astronomie'' the Bulletin of the Societé. The 1895 volume of the combined journal was numbered 9, to preserve the ''BSAF'' volume numbering, but this had the consequence that volumes 9 to 13 of ''L'Astronomie'' can each refer to two different publications, five years apart of each other.<ref>[http://mintaka.sdsu.edu/GF/bibliog/library/astronomie.html Which l'Astronomie?<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> He was the first to suggest the names [[Triton (moon)|Triton]] and [[Amalthea (moon)|Amalthea]] for moons of [[Neptune (planet)|Neptune]] and [[Jupiter (planet)|Jupiter]], respectively, although these names were not officially adopted until many decades later.<ref>[http://www.mlahanas.de/Physics/Bios/CamilleFlammarion.html Camille Flammarion<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> [[Image:Flammarion2.jpg|thumb|Flammarion in advanced age]] Because of his scientific background, he approached [[spiritualism]] and [[reincarnation]] from the viewpoint of the scientific method, writing, "It is by the scientific method alone that we may make progress in the search for truth. Religious belief must not take the place of impartial analysis. We must be constantly on our guard against illusions."<ref name="aks">in "Death and Its Mystery", [[1921 in literature|1921]], 3 volumes. Translated by Latrobe Carroll (1923, T. Fisher Unwin, Ltd. London: Adelphi Terrace.). Partial online version at [http://www.survivalafterdeath.org/articles/flammarion/manifestations.htm Manifestations of the Dead in Spiritistic Experiments]</ref>. He was chosen to speak at the funerals of [[Allan Kardec]], founder of [[Spiritism]], on April 2, 1869, when he re-affirmed that "spiritism is not a religion but a science" (''op. cit.''). His spiritualism studies also influenced some of his [[science fiction]]. Other than that, his writing about other worlds adhered fairly closely to then current ideas in [[evolutionary theory]] and [[astronomy]]. The enigmatic "[[Flammarion Woodcut]]" first appeared in an 1888 Flammarion publication. His second wife was [[Gabrielle Renaudot Flammarion]], also a noted astronomer. He died in Juvisy-sur-Orge. ==Notes== <references/> ==Works== [[Image:Flammarion.jpg|thumb|260px|The famous "[[Flat Earth]]" [[Flammarion woodcut]] originates with Flammarion's 1888 ''L'atmosphère : météorologie populaire'' (p. 163)]] * ''La pluralité des mondes habités'' (The Plurality of Inhabited Worlds), [[1862 in literature|1862]]. * ''Real and Imaginary Worlds'', [[1864 in literature|1864]]. * [http://books.eserver.org/fiction/lumen/ ''Lumen''], [[1867 in literature|1867]]. * ''Récits de l'infini'', [[1872 in literature|1872]]. * ''L'atmosphère: météorologie populaire'', [[1888 in literature|1888]]. * ''Astronomie populaire'', [[1880 in literature|1880]]. His best-selling work, it was translated into [[English language|English]] as ''Popular Astronomy'' in [[1894 in literature|1894]]. * ''Les Étoiles et les Curiosités du Ciel'', [[1882 in literature|1882]]. A supplement of the ''L'Astronomie Populaire'' works. An observer's handbook of its day. * [http://eserver.org/fiction/uranie/ ''Uranie''], [[1890 in literature|1890]]. * ''La planète Mars et ses conditions d'habitabilité'', [[1892 in literature|1892]]. * ''La Fin du Monde'' (The End of the World), [[1893 in literature|1893]], is a science fiction novel about a [[comet]] colliding with the [[Earth]], followed by several million years leading up to the gradual death of the planet. It has recently been brought back into print as ''[[Omega: The Last Days of the World]]''. ==Honors== '''Named after him''' * [[Flammarion (lunar crater)|Flammarion crater]] on the [[Moon]]. * [[Flammarion (crater on Mars)|Flammarion crater]] on [[Mars (planet)|Mars]]. ==Quotations== [[Image:Universum.jpg|thumb|Universum – [[Flammarion woodcut]], Paris 1888, colored by Heikenwaelder Hugo, Wien 1998]] <blockquote> "What intelligent being, what being capable of responding emotionally to a beautiful sight, can look at the jagged, silvery lunar crescent trembling in the azure sky, even through the weakest of telescopes, and not be struck by it in an intensely pleasurable way, not feel cut off from everyday life here on earth and transported toward that first stop on the celestial journeys? What thoughtful soul could look at brilliant Jupiter with its four attendant satellites, or splendid Saturn encircled by its mysterious ring, or a double star glowing scarlet and sapphire in the infinity of night, and not be filled with a sense of wonder? Yes, indeed, if humankind — from humble farmers in the fields and toiling workers in the cities to teachers, people of independent means, those who have reached the pinnacle of fame or fortune, even the most frivolous of society women — if they knew what profound inner pleasure await those who gaze at the heavens, then France, nay, the whole of Europe, would be covered with telescopes instead of bayonets, thereby promoting universal happiness and peace." — ''Camille Flammarion, French astronomer, 1880'' </blockquote> {{commons|Category:Camille Flammarion|Camille Flammarion}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Flammarion, Camille}} [[Category:1842 births]] [[Category:1925 deaths]] [[Category:19th century astronomers]] [[Category:20th century astronomers]] [[Category:French astronomers]] [[Category:French balloonists]] [[Category:French science fiction writers]] {{Template:Spiritism and Spiritualism}} [[bg:Камил Фламарион]] [[de:Camille Flammarion]] [[el:Καμίλ Φλαμαριόν]] [[es:Camille Flammarion]] [[fr:Camille Flammarion]] [[it:Camille Flammarion]] [[nl:Camille Flammarion]] [[ja:カミーユ・フラマリオン]] [[pl:Camille Flammarion]] [[pt:Camille Flammarion]] [[ro:Camille Flammarion]] [[ru:Фламмарион, Камиль]] [[simple:Camille Flammarion]] [[sl:Nicolas Camille Flammarion]] [[fi:Camille Flammarion]] [[sv:Camille Flammarion]]