Evening star., 1925-06-04
.FLAMMAR|ON DIES;
LED IN ASTRONOMY
Noted Frenchman Began
Study of Stars When Only
9 Years Old.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
PARIS, June 4.-Camille Flam-
marion, the noted French astronomer,
Is dead.
M. Flammarion died at his observa
tory at Juvisy- Sur -Orge, France.
Flammarion made astronomy pop
ular to the layman. He "sugar-coated
astronomical facts" but while he won
applause from the layman some of
his serious-minded cotemporaries in
the study of astronomy attacked
many of his theories as pure fancies.
He was the founder, however. of
the famous observatory at Juvisy
and of the Astronomical Society of
France. His books include Marvel
of the Heavens" Popular Astron-
omy" and Mysterious Psychic
Forces"
In October, 1920, when in his
seventy eighth year. M. Flammarion
married Miss Gabrielle Renaudot,
who collaborated with him in the
writing of some of his best known
works.
Flammarion, when boy years
old, witnessed the sun eclipsed by
the moon. Awed by the phenomenon
his chief concern was In how astron-
omers, who predicted this event. were
could usually be found at sunset on
a neighboring hill watching the de-
parting orb and waiting for the ap-
pearance of the stars.
In his fifteenth year he wrote a book
on the origin of the world. but, in his
own words, 1T luckily never met d
publisher"
First Book at 10.
nf ha 70 Do orlo
atory, and became assistant as
tronomer to LIE Verrier, and wrote his
first published book at J9 years of
age. 1t was translated at once to al
most every language.
He soon assumed direction of the
scientific review Cosmos and also
published his second scientific work,
The World Imaginary and the World
Real"
With the famous Aeronaut GODDARD,
the young astronomer aScended in
balloons to study the heavens. These
observations extended over period of
five years.
During the Franco-Prussian war in
1871, he demonstrated the practical
application of his knowledge Of as
tronomy and telescopes. Hidden in an
observatory at Passy, as captain of a
cpecial corps, he commissioned other
astronomers to assist him in study
of the Prussian troops banked around
Paris.
All overtures for public Office after
the war were refused by Flammerion.
He devoted himself to studying dou-
BILE and multiple stars, their colors,
and proper motions and sun-spots, the
branches of the science in which he
specialized.
Mostsof his great achievements dur
ing the latter part of his life were ac-
compIished in his observatory at his
toric Juvisy. 1t was called the half
way house of kings and courtiers." "
Here Napoleon had received the news
of the fall of Paris and from here he
departed to Fontainebleu to bid adieu
to his army in 1914. The estate was
gift to Flammarion from an ad.
mirer. NJ. Meret.
F1ammarion will be remembered for
his many books, written in poetic
and philosophic vein. While great Sc
crets of the universe are therein dis
closed, they are clothed in language
that is as entertaining as a novel. II
Is on this that his popular fame rests,
Flammarion himself had said:
within the last quarter of century
our sublime science has been wholly
transformed. Instead of watching in
ert masses in motion through the void
of space, the study of the evolutions
of the stars and life has taken its
place 1t is a signal advance over the
old school, and may be looked upon as
likely to prove the grandest feature of
astronomic science in the near fu-
ture."