Stamp - Camille Flammarion (1842 - 1925)

Camille Flammarion was born on February 26, 1842 in Montigny-le-Roi. From a very modest social background, this apostle of science worked his whole life to spread his passion for the study and observation of natural phenomena to all levels of society. In 1858, he joined the Bureau des calculs at the Paris Observatory, attracted by the prospect of discovering the wonders of the sky. But this prestigious establishment was concerned only with celestial mechanics, not astrophysics. Disappointed, he left in 1862, when he published his first work, La Pluralité des mondes habités. But Flammarion did not forget the amateur astronomers among whom his works (over 50, including L'Astronomie populaire in 1879, his masterpiece) awakened many a vocation. In 1883, he had a large observatory built in Juvisy-sur-Orge. In 1887, he brought together a group of friends of science to found the Société Astronomique de France, which soon boasted a popular observatory in the heart of the Latin Quarter, open to all. The magazine L'Astronomie became the monthly bulletin, distributed on all five continents. Flammarion, after serving as the first president, remained secretary general until his death on June 3, 1925. Gabrielle, his second wife, took up the torch and continued his work. Even in the 21st century, the "Flammarion spirit" - a subtle blend of scientific rigor, disinterestedness, enthusiasm and faith in the future - still drives the Société Astronomique de France. As part of the "Flammarion 2025" committee set up to celebrate the centenary of Camille Flammarion's death, tribute is paid here to this French astronomer and popularizer of science. Society Société Astronomique de France

Création et gravure Louis Genty d'ap. photo Musée de la ville de Paris, Musée Carnavalet Paris, © Archives Charmet / Bridgeman Images