The Observatoire de Paris is participating in the Fête de la science 2012

Free exhibition

Until December 2012, the Observatoire de Paris will present « Cassini : l’astronome du roi et le satellite » (« Cassini : the King’s astronomer and the satellite ») an exhibition/tribute, to mark the tercentenary of the death of it first astronomer-organizer : Jean-Dominique Cassini. For the Fête de la science, entrance to the exhibition is free. The public will discover the works of Cassini, and in particular his astronomical research as well as his cartographic and geodesic activities ; the exhibition includes some exceptional historical documents, such as the 1679 map of the Moon, the drawings of the Moon, or abbé Picard’s "Mesure de la Terre" ("the Measurement of the Earth"). The exhibition shows the posterity and the modern extensions of this research, incarnated in projects such as the NASA/ESA space mission Cassini-Huygens.

Note : Since the Arago dome is not on the exhibition itinery, it cannot be visited.

Talks

Scientists from the Observatoire de Paris will decipher for you what is currently happening in astronomy and physics ; there will be three talks per day. Entrance without prior reservation, in the limits of available space. The following general topics will be presented :

Saturday October 13th

– 14h30 - "Le ciel va-t-il nous tomber sur la tête ?", ("Will the sky fall on us ?") by Jean-Eudes Arlot, astronomer at the IMCCE
– 15h30 - "Les coups de colère du Soleil reprennent" ("The Sun’s bursts of anger are starting again"), by Guillaume Aulanier, astronomer at the LESIA
– 16h30 - "Le mystérieux trou noir au coeur de la Voie lactée " ("The mysterious black hole in the center of the Milky Way") by Éric Gourgoulhon, CNRS Research Director at the LUTH and Guy Perrin, astronomer at the LESIA

Sunday, October 14th

– 14h30 - « "a fin du monde inscrite au calendrier ?" ("Is the end of the world written into the calendar ?") by Jean Souchay, astronomer in the SYRTE department
– 15h30 - "Les gardiens du temps à l’heure des atomes froids" ("The guardians of time in the epoch of cold atoms"), by Noël Dimarcq, director of the SYRTE department
– 16h30 - "Le radiotélescope ALMA ouvre ses yeux sur l’Univers froid" ("The radiotelescope ALMA opens its eyes on the cold Universe"), by Maryvonne Gérin, CNRS research director at the LERMA

Note

A tailored welcome for schools : Thursday 11th and Friday 12th October
The Observatoire de Paris will welcome 18 school classes (prior reservation obligatory - now full) and will propose for schoolchildren tours of the exhibition, role games and workshops.

Participation in the science village of Vierzon : 13th and 1414th of October
The scientists and engineers from the Nançay radioastronomical station of the Observatoire de Paris will have a stand presenting the recent worlwide progress in radioastronomy (SKA, LOFAR…). Posters and experiments will help children and adults understand what radiowaves do in antennae.
– From 10h to 18h - Conference center of Vierzon, 16 rue Société Française – 18100 Vierzon.

Access
Observatoire de Paris - 61 avenue de l’Observatoire, Paris 14e
Metro lines 4 et 6, get off at Denfert-Rochereau, et RER (Regional Express Rail) B, get off at Port-Royal