Louise du Pierry facts for kids

Louise du Pierry (born July 30, 1746 – died February 27, 1807) was a brilliant French astronomer and professor. She was also known as Dupiery.

Early Life and Studies

Louise du Pierry was born in a place called La Ferté-Bernard, in France, on August 1, 1746.

In 1779, Louise du Pierry became a student of the famous astronomer Jerome de Lalande. She learned a lot about both nature (natural history) and the stars (astronomy). She was also a member of the Académie des Sciences de Béziers, which was a special group for scientists in France.

Becoming a Professor of Astronomy

In 1789, Louise du Pierry made history! She became the first female professor at the famous Sorbonne university in Paris. She led a special astronomy class just for women, called Cours d’astronomie ouvert pour les dames et mis à leur portée.

This was the very first time a university class was created specifically for women. Many people thought astronomy would be too hard for women to learn. But Louise du Pierry's class was a huge success! It showed that women could excel in science, just like men.

Important Works and Publications

Louise du Pierry wrote and published many important works. These books and papers helped astronomers with their calculations and understanding of the sky.

• Tables de l’effet des réfractions, en ascension droite et en déclinaison, pour la latitude de Paris (1791): This book helped astronomers figure out how much light bends when it passes through Earth's air. This bending, called refraction, affects how we see stars. Her tables showed how to correct for this effect when looking at stars from Paris.
• Tables de la durée du jour et de la nuit (1792): This publication provided tables that showed how long the day and night would be. This was useful for both everyday life and for astronomers.
• Calculs d’éclipses pour mieux trouver le movement de la Lune: This work focused on calculating eclipses. By doing this, astronomers could better understand how the Moon moves in space.
• Table alphabétique et analytique des matières (1799): This was an index for a large chemistry book. It helped people find information easily within the five volumes of Système des connaissances chimiques by Fourcroy.

Jerome de Lalande, her former teacher, even dedicated his own book, Astronomie des Dames (1790), to her. He praised her talent, good taste, and bravery in the world of science.

See also

In Spanish: Louise du Pierry para niños