DECEMBER IN FRANCE

Paris By Night

(see also Paris for Teens)

Notre Dame
Musee D'Orsay
Louvre - Salon Sully
Tour Eiffel
  Champs Elysees
Assemblee Nationale
  Pont Alexander III
Arc de Triomphe
Louvre - Pyramide
Palais de Chaillot


Astronomy in the City of Light

At the Musee de la Marine (Palais de Chaillot) one can see many scientific instruments used in navigation. In this photo are clocks, sextants, telescopes, transits, and globes.

Magnificent astrolabes are beautifully displayed at the Musee de l'Institute du Monde Arabe.

The Cite des Sciences et de l'Industrie is a complete science center; space, astronomy, math, aircraft, optics, planetarium, a submarine you can walk through and a Moon buggy you can walk around.

Models of famous satellites watch over your tour of the beautiful Palais de la Decouverte another complete science center with a planetarium, just a block from the Champs Elysees.

At the north face of the Observatoire de Paris a statue of Urbain Le Verrier, co-discoverer of the planet Neptune, stands watch over the Paris meridian.

The Paris meridian passes nearby the Cathedral of St. Sulpice. A metal meridian marker extends from the south transept in the foreground, across the church, then to an obelisk in the north transept. At local noon, an image of the Sun crosses the meridian. This instrument enabled early church officials to determine the date of Easter.

A bit farther north, the Paris meridian passes through the Musee de la Monnaie. A sundial keeps track of local noon.

Even the streets shout "science".

Camille FLAMMARION
1842 - 1925
Fondateur de l'Observatoire de Juvisy
et de la
Societe Astronomique de France
A VECU DANS CETTE MAISON
de 1870 a 1925



VERSION 28 August 2008

© Frank P. Maloney   <frank.maloney@villanova.edu>