Jean-Baptiste Morin (mathematician)

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Jean-Baptiste Morin (1583-1656).

Jean-Baptiste Morin (also: Morinus ; born February 23, 1583 in Villefranche , Yonne; † November 6, 1656 ) was a French astrologer , mathematician and astronomer.

At the age of 16 he began to study philosophy in Aix-en-Provence. From 1611 he studied medicine in Avignon, which he completed in 1613 with the Dr. med. completed. Then he was with the bishop of Boulogne until 1623 , who sent him to study mining in Germany and Hungary and employed him as an astrologer. Until 1629 he was then in a similar position with the Duke of Luxembourg, but also found time for scientific work on optics and astronomical observations with Pierre Gassendi . In 1630 he became a professor of mathematics at the Collège Royal , which he remained until his death. In 1635 he was one of the first astronomers to succeed in observing the brightest star in the northern sky, Arcturus, in the bear guard in the daytime .

As an astronomer he was an opponent of the Copernican worldview and attacked Galileo Galilei publicly. To solve the longitude problem advertised for a prize by the Paris Academy, he proposed the use of the lunar ephemeris (including the parallax of the moon). Cardinal Richelieu set up a committee to evaluate his proposals, but it did not want to award him the prize because his method was not practicable with the means of observation of the time. He received a pension from Mazarin in 1645 for his work on the longitude problem , which was of immense practical importance for navigating the oceans.

Since he also attacked Descartes violently in the end, he isolated himself from his fellow scientists towards the end of his life.

Works

  • Tabulæ Rudolphinæ Ad Meridianum Uraniburgi supputatæ / A Johanne Baptista Morino Doctore Medico, & Regio Parisiis Mathem. Professore ad accuratum & facile compendium redactæ. In: Astronomia Carolina, Nova Theoria Motuum Coelestium, Secundum optimas Observationes & rationi maxime consentanea fundamenta Artis ...: cum ... Tabulis & Præceptis pro calculo Eclipsium & c. / Thomas Streete. - Noribergae [Nuremberg]: Otto, 1705.
  • Jean-Baptiste Morin: Astrologia Gallica, Book XXI , Chiron-Verlag ISBN 3925100261

Web links

Commons : Jean-Baptiste Morin  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. Arcturus , SolStation.com, accessed March 30, 2020