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Laurent Cassegrain

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around 1629 and was the son of Mathurin Cassegrain and Jehanne Marquet. It is unknown what his education was but he was a priest and professor by 1654. He may have been interested in acoustics, optics and mechanics. At the time of his death he was working as a teacher giving science classes at the
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wrote about the Cassegrain design and critiqued it harshly, maybe because Huygens felt Newton's design was being "imperilled" by this alternative. Whatever the motives, the storm of controversy that followed had one lasting effect: Cassegrain's name was forgotten.
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In 1997 two French astronomers, André Baranne and Françoise Launay, after a long and meticulous investigation including a search for unpublished manuscripts and the analysis of parish registers in the places where Cassegrain lived (Chartres first and then
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The identity of this "Cassegrain" has had many theories. His only known publication was the letter on the megaphone/reflecting telescope in the 25 April 1672
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as having found, in 1691, a piece of magnet in the steeple of Chartres Cathedral, then being repaired after being damaged by inclement weather.
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on the optical axis to bounce the light back through a hole in the primary mirror thus permitting the light to reach an eyepiece.
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The Cassegrain reflector is a reflecting telescope design that solved the problem of viewing an image without obstructing the
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on 25 April 1672. In that edition is found an extract from a letter written by M. de Bercé, writing from
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to report the invention, and that letter was published in the February 29, 1672 issue of the
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Chronicling the Golden Age of Astronomy A History of Visual Observing from Harriot to Moore
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is named after him, even though his true identity was not known at the time of the naming.
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Note: Based on whether the letters described by M. de Bercé are from Laurent Cassegrain
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It first appeared in the eighth edition of the 17th-century French science journal
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Réflexions sur la description d'une lunette publiée sous le nom de M. Cassegrain
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with an attached note describing a new type of reflecting telescope, the
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Recueil des mémoires et conférences concernant les arts et les sciences
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Recueil des mémoires et conférences concernant les arts et les sciences
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Recueil des mémoires et conférences concernant les arts et les sciences
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Cassegrain: a famous unknown of instrumental astronomy
396:, who promptly published it. Huygens also wrote to 548: 129:who is notable as the probable inventor of the 476:Stargazer: The Life and Times of the Telescope 145:Laurent Cassegrain was born in the region of 479:. Da Capo Press, Incorporated. p. 131. 327:The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers 472: 567:17th-century French Roman Catholic priests 466: 305:List of Roman Catholic scientist-clerics 165: 162:Connection with the Cassegrain reflector 434: 549: 504:Chaudon web page on Laurent Cassegrain 373:Chaudon web page on Laurent Cassegrain 323: 113: 538:André Baranne and Françoise Launay, 577:French scientific instrument makers 266:Mémoires de l’Académie des sciences 13: 388:reported his first invention, the 14: 598: 497: 204:who had written a letter on the 428: 378: 366: 355: 317: 284:as the most likely candidate. 150:Collège de Chartres, a French 1: 510: 119: 523:(Letter #1892, addressed to 242:Nouvelle biographie générale 140: 43:1693 (aged 63–64) 7: 298: 10: 603: 582:Catholic clergy scientists 125:– 1 September 1693) was a 100: 92: 78: 71: 61: 51: 39: 25: 18: 310: 324:Hockey, Thomas (2009). 234:Encyclopædia Britannica 158:) on 1 September 1693. 435:English, Neil (2018). 250:La grande encyclopédie 174: 133:, a folded two-mirror 115:[loʁɑ̃kasgʁɛ̃] 532:, vol. 7, pp. 189-191 417:was completed by the 169: 587:People from Chartres 473:Fred Watson (2006). 210:Cassegrain reflector 172:Cassegrain Reflector 135:reflecting telescope 131:Cassegrain reflector 66:Cassegrain reflector 443:Springer Publishing 423:Jean-Baptiste Denys 415:Journal des Sçavans 406:Journal des sçavans 390:Newtonian telescope 332:Springer Publishing 264:) mentioned in the 218:Newtonian reflector 194:Jean-Baptiste Denys 96:Collège de Chartres 517:Christiaan Huygens 394:Christiaan Huygens 384:In February 1672, 282:Laurent Cassegrain 222:Christiaan Huygens 220:. On 13 June 1672 181:by using a convex 175: 107:Laurent Cassegrain 20:Laurent Cassegrain 486:978-0-306-81483-9 452:978-3-319-97706-5 341:978-0-387-31022-0 104: 103: 73:Scientific career 594: 530:Œuvres complètes 491: 490: 470: 464: 463: 461: 459: 432: 426: 382: 376: 370: 364: 359: 353: 352: 350: 348: 321: 238:Ferdinand Hoefer 183:secondary mirror 170:Light path in a 124: 121: 117: 112: 16: 15: 602: 601: 597: 596: 595: 593: 592: 591: 572:Telescope types 547: 546: 513: 500: 495: 494: 487: 471: 467: 457: 455: 453: 433: 429: 421:, published by 383: 379: 371: 367: 360: 356: 346: 344: 342: 322: 318: 313: 301: 192:, published by 164: 143: 127:Catholic priest 122: 110: 47: 44: 35: 30: 21: 12: 11: 5: 600: 590: 589: 584: 579: 574: 569: 564: 559: 545: 544: 535: 512: 509: 508: 507: 499: 498:External links 496: 493: 492: 485: 465: 451: 427: 377: 365: 354: 340: 315: 314: 312: 309: 308: 307: 300: 297: 280:), identified 179:primary mirror 163: 160: 142: 139: 102: 101: 98: 97: 94: 90: 89: 80: 76: 75: 69: 68: 63: 62:Known for 59: 58: 53: 49: 48: 45: 41: 37: 36: 31: 27: 23: 22: 19: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 599: 588: 585: 583: 580: 578: 575: 573: 570: 568: 565: 563: 560: 558: 555: 554: 552: 542: 541: 536: 533: 531: 526: 522: 518: 515: 514: 505: 502: 501: 488: 482: 478: 477: 469: 454: 448: 444: 440: 439: 431: 424: 420: 416: 412: 408: 407: 403: 399: 395: 391: 387: 381: 374: 369: 363: 358: 343: 337: 333: 329: 328: 320: 316: 306: 303: 302: 296: 294: 290: 285: 283: 279: 278:Nogent-le-Roi 275: 269: 267: 263: 259: 255: 251: 247: 243: 239: 235: 231: 226: 223: 219: 215: 211: 207: 203: 199: 195: 191: 186: 184: 180: 173: 168: 159: 157: 153: 148: 138: 136: 132: 128: 116: 108: 99: 95: 91: 88: 84: 81: 77: 74: 70: 67: 64: 60: 57: 54: 50: 42: 38: 34: 28: 24: 17: 539: 529: 525:Jean Gallois 520: 475: 468: 456:. Retrieved 437: 430: 418: 414: 404: 398:Jean Gallois 386:Isaac Newton 380: 368: 361: 357: 345:. Retrieved 326: 319: 286: 281: 270: 265: 261: 249: 241: 233: 229: 227: 214:Isaac Newton 209: 201: 189: 187: 176: 156:Eure-et-Loir 144: 106: 105: 93:Institutions 72: 562:1693 deaths 557:1629 births 506:(in French) 375:(in French) 287:The crater 123: 1629 52:Citizenship 551:Categories 511:References 458:August 24, 347:August 22, 289:Cassegrain 258:chirurgeon 202:Cassegrain 254:Louis XIV 206:megaphone 141:Biography 87:Telescope 299:See also 198:Chartres 147:Chartres 137:design. 33:Chartres 534:, 1888. 411:England 291:on the 276:, near 274:Chaudon 262:surgeon 260:(i.e., 111:French: 46:Chaudon 483:  449:  402:French 338:  83:Optics 79:Fields 56:French 409:. In 311:Notes 246:Paris 152:lycée 481:ISBN 460:2021 447:ISBN 349:2012 336:ISBN 293:Moon 40:Died 29:1629 26:Born 527:), 392:to 240:'s 216:'s 553:: 519:, 445:. 441:. 334:. 330:. 244:, 120:c. 118:; 85:: 489:. 462:. 425:. 351:. 109:(

Index

Chartres
French
Cassegrain reflector
Optics
Telescope
[loʁɑ̃kasgʁɛ̃]
Catholic priest
Cassegrain reflector
reflecting telescope
Chartres
lycée
Eure-et-Loir

Cassegrain Reflector
primary mirror
secondary mirror
Jean-Baptiste Denys
Chartres
megaphone
Isaac Newton
Newtonian reflector
Christiaan Huygens
Ferdinand Hoefer
Paris
Louis XIV
chirurgeon
Chaudon
Nogent-le-Roi
Cassegrain
Moon

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