The Arago dome of the Paris Observatory. Picture Credit score: Gavin Ramsay.
The Plato Science Working Workforce often meets 4 instances a 12 months on the European House Company’s ESTEC website within the Netherlands. On this event one of many crew was retiring so we met at her institute — Paris Observatory. Actually, grander and a change from the standard chilly breeze on the Dutch coast!
The meridian line going via the Paris Observatory foremost constructing. Picture Credit score: Gavin Ramsay
I’ve by no means been to the Paris Observatory beforehand and is among the most impressively grand pre-20th century observatories. Based in 1667, greater than century earlier than Armagh Observatory, within the reign of Louis XIV when France was on the zenith of its energy. Practically ten years later, the Royal Greenwich Observatory in London was based by Charles II. As we speak it nonetheless covers a big website solely a 20 minute stroll south of Notre Dame Cathedral. Oddly the French Academy of Sciences solely met there as soon as claiming it took too lengthy to get there!
A bit completely different to the extra up to date assembly rooms at ESTEC! Picture Credit score: Gavin Ramsay
The total moon rising over Paris. Picture Credit score: Gavin Ramsay
Like many Observatories of the time, its foremost function was in figuring out the native time. Certainly, the French used the meridian line going via the Observatory for 200 years till in 1911 it agreed to observe the 1884 Worldwide Meridien Convention determination to undertake Greenwich because the reference level. Within the earlier years of the observatory, the good scientist Giovanni Cassini found 4 satellites of Saturn and the hole within the well-known rings – now known as the Cassini division. Different vital discoveries embrace that of the Danish astronomer Ole Romer who made observations of the moons of Jupiter and concluded that the pace of sunshine is finite.
The 38 cm (15 inch) Arago refracting telescope. Picture Credit score: Gavin Ramsay
With Paris increasing for the reason that founding of the observatory, the Meudon Observatory was based outdoors Paris within the late 19th century, being formally built-in into the Paris Observatory after the First World Conflict. Within the 1960’s a brand new set of buildings had been constructed within the previous Observatory website the place workers and college students now have places of work. The Outdated Observatory is now primarily used for conferences and public outreach occasions. Though after we had been there a marquee was being erected for an occasion within the Paris Style week. Our subsequent assembly will likely be held in ESTEC in late November when will probably be considerably cooler than it was in Paris!
Extra data on the Plato mission may be discovered right here:
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Plato
