astronomy

Observatory of the rue Serpente

Observatory of the rue Serpente 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 Observatory of the rue Serpente rather than just read about it. In short: The Observatory of the rue Serpente was an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the Société Astronomique de France (the French Astronomical Society) in the historic Latin Quarter of Paris. It operated between 1890 until 1968, when it was transferred to a new location at the nearby Astronomy Tower of the Sorbonne.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

The Observatory of the rue Serpente was an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the Société Astronomique de France (the French Astronomical Society) in the historic Latin Quarter of Paris. It operated between 1890 until 1968, when it was transferred to a new location at the nearby Astronomy Tower of the Sorbonne.

Origin On 4 April 1887, the headquarters of the recently founded Société Astronomique de France was established at the Hôtel des Sociétés Savantes, a building that housed different scientific societies, at 28 rue Serpente in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. At the suggestion of Camille Flammarion, the society's founder, an observatory was built on the building's roof. Its purpose was to popularize astronomy and it would be open to all members of the Society. The observatory eventually included two domes (which still exist today), a meridian room, a meeting room, and a library, and it occupied the entire upper floor of the building. Over the years, the society gave courses on astronomical topics for amateurs on the observatory premises (elementary astronomy starting in 1902, spectral analysis starting in 1906, mathematics for astronomy starting in 1922), providing an opportunity to combine theory with practice using the in-house telescopes.

First Dome The first dome was built in 1889 by the engineer Adolphe Gilon. It housed an equatorial mount refractor with a diameter of 108 mm constructed by Denis Albert Bardou and a meridian circle of 75 mm manufactured by Georges Emmanuel Secrétan. In 1935, the Bardou telescope was replaced by a refractor of 153 mm diameter, equipped with a T. Cooke & Sons lens, a mount made by Maurice Manent and an electric motor. The new telescope was largely paid for by a subscription of members of the society.

Second Dome In 1900, the building was remodeled and a second dome was added. It housed an equatorial-mount refractor with a diameter of 190 mm and a focal length of 2 meters (later extended to 3 meters) constructed by Raymond Augustin Mailhat. That telescope remained in use until 1950, when the society installed a new refractor with a 220 mm diameter and 3 meter focal length constructed by Antonin Benoit. This instrument was reserved for the use of amateurs, in particular for the observation and measure of double stars as well as drawing the surfaces of planets.

Legacy The telescopes of the Société Astronomique de France's observatory were used by numerous amateurs and professionals over its nearly 80 years of operation. Many young amateurs who later became important professional figures in astronomy used the facility, including Fernand Baldet, Henri Chrétien, André-Louis Danjon, Ferdinand Quénisset (later an astronomer at the Camille Flammarion Observatory), Gilbert Rougier and many more.

Closure In 1968, the Paris-Sorbonne University became the owner of the Hotel des Sociétés savantes and the Société Astronomique de France was obliged to leave the rue Serpente. In 1980, the 153 mm refractor that was formerly installed in the first dome was removed and installed in the Astronomy Tower of the Sorbonne, where it continues to be used today by amateurs and the general public.

See also List of astronomical observatories

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Observatory of the rue Serpente

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Observatory of the rue Serpente 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 Observatory of the rue Serpente 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 Observatory of the rue Serpente 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 Observatory of the rue Serpente

In research: Observatory of the rue Serpente 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 Observatory of the rue Serpente 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: Observatory of the rue Serpente is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1890 establishments in France, Astronomical observatories in France, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Observatory of the rue Serpente 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 Observatory of the rue Serpente in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Observatory of the rue Serpente in simple terms?

Why does Observatory of the rue Serpente 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 Observatory of the rue Serpente?

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 Observatory of the rue Serpente.