François Aragó

François Arago . French physicist and astronomer . In 1830 he was appointed permanent secretary of the Academy of Sciences and director of the Paris Observatory .

Summary

[ disguise ]

• 1 Biographical summary
  • 1 Birth
  • 2 Studies
  • 3 Career
  • 4 Discoveries
  • 5 Political career
  • 6 Death
• 2 Legacy of Francois Arago
  • 1 Astronomy
  • 2 Secondary education centers
  • 3 Urban roads and monuments
• 3 Sources

Biographical summary

Birth

He was born in Estagel, a small town near Perpignan, in the department of Pyrénées-Orientales, France . He was the second of eight children in a Catalan-speaking family. His father, Bonaventure Arago, belonged to the rural petite bourgeoisie: well-off and cultured, he was a friend of several scientists of the time, and frequented the intellectual and political circles of Perpignan. He held several relevant administrative positions under the French Revolution and the First Empire, and was mayor of Estagel.

Studies

He studied at the Polytechnic School of Paris , where he later became a professor of mathematical analysis and geodesy. In 1830 he was appointed permanent secretary of the Academy of Sciences and director of the Paris Observatory .

Trajectory

Participates in the calculation of the arc of the Paris meridian from Dunkirk to Barcelona, ​​commissioned by the Office of Weights and Measures. In 1830 he was appointed director of the Astronomical Observatory.

Discoveries

He reveals the magnetic rotational polarization and promulgates the principle of interference, with which he seeks to explain the twinkling of stars . He also discovers chromatic polarization and invents a photometer. He deals with issues of celestial mechanics, cosmic physics, physical geography and optics. He also stands out as the author of popular works in various fields of science. In addition, he provides support to numerous researchers such as Gay-Lussac or Fresnel.

Political career

He was part of the provisional government of 1848 , promoting the end of slavery in territories occupied by France . He is appointed perpetual secretary of the Academy of Sciences

After the events of February 1848 that caused the fall of King Louis Philippe I , Arago was appointed a member of the provisional government as Minister of War, the Navy and the Colonies, and proclaimed the Republic before the people of Paris . As president of the Executive Commission, he assumed responsibilities equivalent to those of a head of government.

He adopted advanced social measures such as the limitation of working hours, the prohibition of corporal punishment in the Navy, measures to facilitate the acquisition of French nationality, but above all the abolition of slavery. Always a lover of order and opposed to popular insurrections, his confused stance and his impotence in the face of the popular demonstrations of June 1848 due to the closure of the national workshops led him to resign.

He returned to his position at the Observatory where he continued his tireless scientific work. He almost never set foot in the Assembly again, despite being re-elected as a deputy in 1849 . After the coup d’état by Louis Napoleon in December 1852 , Arago tried to mobilize the Academy without success. Forced as an official to take an oath to the Emperor, he refused and resigned, but Napoleon assured him that he would not be disturbed.

Death

He died on October 2 , 1853 in Paris.

Legacy of Francois Arago

Astronomy

Some craters are named after him, such as Arago Crater on the planet Mars and Arago Crater on the Moon , as well as the asteroid (1005) Arago in the Asteroid Belt.

Secondary education centers

• The Arago high school in Paris
• The François-Arago high school in Perpignan
• An amphitheater of the Polytechnic School, in Palaiseau.

Urban roads and monuments

• The Boulevard Arago, which borders the Paris Observatory , and which faces the Square Arago.
• Numerous avenues and streets of French towns and cities.
• His name is one of the 72 names of scientists, engineers and industrialists that Alexandre Gustave Eiffel had engraved around the first floor of the Eiffel Tower in Paris .
• The Homage to Arago is a Parisian monument inaugurated in 1994 , which is made up of 135 medallions embedded in the pavement of Paris , and which mark the route of the Paris Meridian through the French capital. They draw a 17 km long line that crosses the city from north to south.