Jean Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan
Jean Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan (born November 26, 1678 in Béziers , † February 20, 1771 in Paris ) was a French geophysicist.
Life
His father, François d'Ortous, was a member of the landed gentry. He died when Jean Jacques was four years old.
The young d'Ortous attended school in Toulouse , with an emphasis on ancient Greek . In 1698 he went to Paris to study mathematics and physics .
In 1718 he became a member of the Académie Royal des Sciences , where he held various functions at various points in the period up to 1760, including the posts of secretary, deputy director, and finally director. He also edited the Journal des Scavans , a scientific journal.
In 1731 he observed a nebula- like appearance around a star near the Orion Nebula . This was later referred to as the M43 .
De Mairan also did research on circadian rhythms . He was a student of Malebranche and, shortly before his death in 1713/14, he exchanged letters on the philosophy of Spinoza .
In 1734 he became an honorary member of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Saint Petersburg .
In 1771 he died of pneumonia in Paris .
Awards
- The Mairan crater on the moon was named after him by the IAU in 1935 .
Fonts (selection)
- Traité physique and historique de l'Aurore Boréale . 1733.
- Sur la question des forces vives , 1741
Individual evidence
- ^ Foreign members of the Russian Academy of Sciences since 1724. Jean Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan. Russian Academy of Sciences, accessed October 5, 2015 .
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Mairan, Jean Jacques d'Ortous de |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Mairan, Jean-Jacques Dortous de |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French geophysicist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 26, 1678 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Beziers |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 20, 1771 |
| Place of death | Paris |