Jean Baptiste Joseph Delambre

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Born: 19 Sept 1749 in Amiens, France
Died: 19 Aug 1822 in Paris, France

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Delambre was an astronomer who produced tables of the location of planets and their satellites.

Delambre worked at his observatory and in 1792 he published Tables du Soleil, de Jupiter, de Saturne, d'Uranus et des satellites de Jupiter .

In 1795 he was admitted to the Institute de France and in 1803 became secretary to the mathematical section.

In his Rapport historique.. which he read to the Institute in February 1808 he says

In almost all branches of Mathematics one is blocked by insurmountable difficulties (but) the spectacle of analysis and mechanics in our time (convinces me that) the generations to come will not see anything impossible in what remains to be done.

Delambre served at the Bureau des Longitudes from 1795 and measured the arc of the meridian extending from Dunkirk to Barcelona. His account appears in Base du système métrique .

In 1807 Delambre was appointed to the chair of astronomy at the Collège de France in Paris. he was treasurer to the Imperial University from 1808.

Delambre also wrote histories of ancient, medieval and 'modern' astronomy. He is honoured by having a large lunar crater named after him.

References (9 books/articles)

References elsewhere in this archive:

Tell me about Delambre's part in the discovery of Neptune

Jean B J Delambre was elected to the Royal Society of London in 1791. You can see a history of the Royal Society and a list of the members among the mathematicians in our archive.

Rue Delambre and Square Delambre are in the 14th Arrondissement in Paris. You can see a list of Paris streets named after mathematicians in our archive.

There is a Crater Delambre on the moon. You can see a list of lunar features named after mathematicians.