Janine Connes facts for kids

Janine Connes, born on May 19, 1934, is a French astronomer. She is famous for her important work on a method called Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Her research helped create a whole new way of studying light and chemicals.

Janine Connes was married to Pierre Connes, who was also an astronomer. They often worked on scientific projects together. Pierre passed away in 2019.

Studying Light and Chemicals

Janine Connes' main work was analyzing the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) technique. She started studying this field in 1954. FTIR is a way for scientists to learn about different materials. It works by looking at how light, especially infrared light, interacts with a substance. This helps them figure out what the substance is made of.

Her detailed research, including her university paper, showed how to use FTIR properly. Her work helped set up many of the early rules for how this method should be designed and used.

Imaging Planets

Janine Connes worked with her husband, Pierre Connes, to take pictures of Venus and Mars. They used the FTIR method at the Observatoire du Pic du Midi de Bigorre, a famous observatory in France. The images they captured were much clearer and better than any others taken at that time.

Connes also discovered that using a technique called interferometry was very helpful. Interferometry helps combine light waves to create much sharper and more detailed images. This was a big step forward in studying planets from Earth.

See also

In Spanish: Janine Connes para niños