She became a member of the Paris Observatory in October 1911, as a day-time observer for the Paris Observatory’s meridian unit : she became subsequently an assistant astronomer on March 1st 1912.
The press made much of this appointment, since she had thus become the first professional female astronomer.
She was subsequently promoted adjoint astronomer on November 16th 1924. Edmée Chandon worked for two departments :
- the section devoted to the large meridian instrument directed by Félix Boquet.
- the time section directed by Benjamin Baillaud.
Starting 1916, she became responsible for Claudet and Driencourt’s prism astrolabe, about which she published in 1935 a standard reference text, together with André Gougenheim.
During the first world war, Edmée Chandon was responsible for the clock section (time signal transmission) together with the surveillance of the recording thermometers and barometers in the clock room.
In January 1919, back from Lyon where a part of the time unit had been installed, she was assigned during the first semester the translation of a large number of texts concerning meridian circles.
On October 1st 1919, she was put in charge of the large equatorial refractor in the West Tower, for double star observations.
diaporama
Observatoire de Paris
Observatoire de Paris
Observatoire de Paris
Biographic text on Edmée Chandon published in the "Agenda astronomique 2017", Observatoire de Paris, IMCCE, EDP Sciences, p. 158.
Dernière modification le 21 décembre 2021