Camille Flammarion (1842-1925), astronome et vulgarisateur scientifique

Camille Flammarion (1842-1925), astronomer and science popularizer.
Philippe de la COTARDIÈRE

The centenary of Camille Flammarion's death provides an opportunity to revisit the life and work of this eminent figure of the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. His works, notably his Astronomie populaire, and his lectures widely disseminated the scientific knowledge of his time and introduced astronomy to a broad public. Their success contributed to the growth of the publishing house run by his brother Ernest. He was also a friend of other celebrities such as Gustave Eiffel and composer Camille Saint-Saëns.
After an admirer bequeathed him a property south of Paris, in Juvisy-sur-Orge, he turned it into his personal observatory, known the world over, where he welcomed numerous personalities, including the Emperor of Brazil. Convinced of the universality of life, he ardently defended the idea of the plurality of inhabited worlds.
Attracted by spiritualism and parapsychology, he sought to study paranormal phenomena with the utmost scientific rigor.

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