Talk:Henri Chrétien

Astronomer or Professor of Optics
On 20 April 2003, Ericd changed the article with comment "He was an astronomer". In my original version I wrote that he was a professor of Optics. Even the American Astronomy Association (who grants the price in his name) says he was a professor of optics: and other sources to:  (Dagens Nyheter in Swedish),, ,. Are the AAS wrong? Kricke 13:53, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Well I don't know. What I know is that worked at Nice Observatory.

According to this source http://www.imcce.fr/fr/ephemerides/astronomie/Promenade/pages5/546.html he was a young talentuous astronomer while according to French Wikipedia http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Chr%C3%A9tien he was a physicist.

Its not that uncommon in Universities to earn a degree in one discipline and getting famous in another one.

There's no doubt that Chrétien bring serious contribution to Astronomy and Optics.

As I believe that even today Optics is only subdivision of Physic in French universities, I doubt he was once Professor of Optics. On the other hand he may well have been a Professor of physic teaching mainly (or only) Optics.

Well, we have to dig in his biography....

Ericd 17:47, 9 December 2006 (UTC)


 * Yes, we need some sources. :) I think he was Henri-Alexandre Deslandres assistant at the Meudon Observatory before he came to Nice, however, I thought he was at Nice Observatory to work on the telescope itself (modify it), not use it as an astronomer. However, I found references to him as an astronomer as well as physicist and optician (and also mathematician). He seems to have been a professor anyhow (test the highly scientific Google-method :-)) but I don't know besides this sources, and it can have been a honorary title... Kricke 19:30, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Henri Chrétien was first employed as an astronomer in the Observatory of Nice before the first world war. After the first world war he became professor in applied optics in the École supérieure d'optique till the second world war. 143.239.65.231 15:15, 11 April 2007 (UTC)

Henri Chrétien's Grave
Does anyone know if and where a grave of Henri Chrétien exists? I did some research, but without any results. --Dwi Secundus (talk) 17:09, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

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