astronomy

Louis Thollon

Louis Thollon is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Louis Thollon rather than just read about it. In short: Louis Thollon (2 May 1829 – 8 April 1887) was a French astronomer. He was born in Ambronay, France.

Key takeaways

Louis Thollon belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Louis Thollon to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Louis Thollon from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Louis Thollon (2 May 1829 – 8 April 1887) was a French astronomer. He was born in Ambronay, France. Beginning in 1881, Thollon joined the staff of the new Nice Observatory where he undertook a long-term observation program of the Sun using a spectroscope of his own design. In the process, he recorded a solar spectrum consisting of 3,000 absorption lines in the optical band. In 1882, he joined André Puiseux on an expedition to Egypt to observe the solar eclipse on 17 May. The same year he traveled to Portugal to watch the Venus transit, but was met with disappointment due to poor weather. He was awarded the Prix Lalande in 1885 for his large map of the Solar System, which was not published until after his death in 1890. During the 1886 Mars opposition, he assisted the observatory director, Henri Perrotin, in observing the planet with a 15 in (38 cm) reflecting telescope. Both men reported that they spotted canali on the surface of the planet, apparently confirming the 1877 discovery of these features by Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli. Thollon died at age 57 in Lyon, France.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Louis Thollon

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Louis Thollon claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Louis Thollon before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Louis Thollon ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Louis Thollon

In research: Louis Thollon appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Louis Thollon in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Louis Thollon is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1829 births, 1887 deaths, 19th-century French astronomers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Louis Thollon outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Louis Thollon in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Louis Thollon means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Louis Thollon out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Louis Thollon in simple terms?

Louis Thollon (2 May 1829 – 8 April 1887) was a French astronomer. He was born in Ambronay, France.

Why does Louis Thollon matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Louis Thollon?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Louis Thollon.