Jean Claude Barthélemy Dufay (July 18, 1896–November 6, 1967) was a French
astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, g ...
.
During his career he studied nebulae,
interstellar matter
In astronomy, the interstellar medium is the matter and radiation that exist in the space between the star systems in a galaxy. This matter includes gas in ionic, atomic, and molecular form, as well as dust and cosmic rays. It fills interstellar s ...
, the night sky and cometary physics. In 1925, while working in collaboration with
Jean Cabannes
Jean Cabannes (born 12 August 1885 – died 31 October 1959) was a French physicist specialising in optics.
Education and career
Cabannes studied at the Lycée de Nice and entered the École Normale Supérieure in 1906. From 1910 to 1914, Caba ...
, he computed the altitude of the Earth's
ozone layer
The ozone layer or ozone shield is a region of Earth's stratosphere that absorbs most of the Sun's ultraviolet radiation. It contains a high concentration of ozone (O3) in relation to other parts of the atmosphere, although still small in rela ...
. He was named the honorary director of the
Lyon Observatory
Lyon Observatory is located in Saint-Genis-Laval, a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France, near Lyon. Founded in 1878, the entire facility was listed as a historical site on May 9, 2007.
In 1867, Paris astronomer Charles André reque ...
.
He became a member of the
French Academy of Sciences
The French Academy of Sciences (French: ''Académie des sciences'') is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV of France, Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French Scientific me ...
in 1963.
His undergrad was completed in 1913 and his Ph.D. in 1928 under
Charles Fabry
Maurice Paul Auguste Charles Fabry (; 11 June 1867 – 11 December 1945) was a French physicist.
Life
Fabry graduated from the École Polytechnique in Paris and received his doctorate from the University of Paris in 1892, for his work on i ...
and
Jean Cabannes
Jean Cabannes (born 12 August 1885 – died 31 October 1959) was a French physicist specialising in optics.
Education and career
Cabannes studied at the Lycée de Nice and entered the École Normale Supérieure in 1906. From 1910 to 1914, Caba ...
. In between he served (and was wounded) in World War I and taught. Dufay was appointed at the
Lyon Observatory
Lyon Observatory is located in Saint-Genis-Laval, a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France, near Lyon. Founded in 1878, the entire facility was listed as a historical site on May 9, 2007.
In 1867, Paris astronomer Charles André reque ...
since 1929 and stayed there until his retirement in 1966.
He was awarded the
Valz Prize
The Valz Prize ''(Prix Valz)'' was awarded by the French Academy of Sciences, from 1877 through 1970, to honor advances in astronomy.
History
The Valz Prize was established in June 1874 when the widow of astronomer Benjamin Valz, Marie Madeleine J ...
by the
French Academy of Sciences
The French Academy of Sciences (French: ''Académie des sciences'') is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV of France, Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French Scientific me ...
in 1932 for his work on
astronomical photometry.
The crater
Dufay on the
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...
is named after him.
Bibliography
* Dufay, Jean. ''Nébuleuses galactiques et matière interstellaire'' (Albin Michel, 1957).
* Dufay, Jean. ''Introduction à l'astrophysique. Les étoiles'' (Armand Colin, 1961).
[An English translation, by ]Owen Gingerich
Owen Jay Gingerich (; born 1930) is professor emeritus of astronomy and of the history of science at Harvard University and a senior astronomer emeritus at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. In addition to his research and teaching, he has ...
, was published as
Introduction to Astrophysics: The Stars
' (Dover Books, 1964).
References
1896 births
1967 deaths
20th-century French astronomers
Members of the French Academy of Sciences
{{france-astronomer-stub