André Lallemand (; September 29, 1904 – March 24, 1978) was a French astronomer and director of the

Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris The Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris (translated: Paris Institute of Astrophysics) is a research institute in Paris, France. The Institute is part of the Sorbonne University and is associated with the CNRS Centre national de la recherche scientif ...

. Lallemand made important contributions to the development of

photomultiplier A photomultiplier is a device that converts incident photons into an electrical signal. Kinds of photomultiplier include: * Photomultiplier tube, a vacuum tube converting incident photons into an electric signal. Photomultiplier tubes (PMTs for sh ...

s for astronomical use and the "electronic telescope" (or Lallemand camera). He was awarded the

Lalande Prize The Lalande Prize (French: ''Prix Lalande'' also known as Lalande Medal) was an award for scientific advances in astronomy, given from 1802 until 1970 by the French Academy of Sciences. The prize was endowed by astronomer Jérôme Lalande in 1801 ...

of the

French Academy of Sciences The French Academy of Sciences (, ) is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French Scientific method, scientific research. It was at the forefron ...

in 1938 and the

Eddington Medal The Eddington Medal is awarded by the Royal Astronomical Society for investigations of outstanding merit in theoretical astrophysics. It is named after Sir Arthur Eddington. First awarded in 1953, the frequency of the prize has varied over the ye ...

of the

Royal Astronomical Society The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) is a learned society and charitable organisation, charity that encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, planetary science, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science. Its ...

in 1962 for his work. Lallemand was the President of the Société astronomique de France (SAF), the French astronomical society, from 1960-1962. List of presidents of the Société astronomique de France The crater Lallemand on the Moon is named in his honor, and the

has a biennial award for work in astronomy called the "Prix Lallemand".

References

External links

Brief biography of Lallemand and photoText of the award speech

Virtual exhibition "L'émergence de la caméra Lallemand"
on the

Paris Observatory The Paris Observatory (, ), a research institution of the Paris Sciences et Lettres University, is the foremost astronomical observatory of France, and one of the largest astronomical centres in the world. Its historic building is on the Left Ban ...

virtual library 20th-century French astronomers Members of the French Academy of Sciences 1904 births 1978 deaths Recipients of the Lalande Prize {{france-astronomer-stub