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Concept
Paris Observatory
Summary
The Paris Observatory (Observatoire de Paris ɔbsɛʁvatwaʁ də paʁi), a research institution of the Paris Sciences et Lettres University, is the foremost astronomical observatory of France, and one of the largest astronomical centers in the world. Its historic building is on the Left Bank of the Seine in central Paris, but most of the staff work on a satellite campus in Meudon, a suburb southwest of Paris.
The Paris Observatory was founded in 1667. Construction was completed by the early 1670s and coincided with a major push for increased science, and the founding of the Royal Academy of Sciences. King Louis XIV's minister of finance organized a "scientific powerhouse" to increase understanding of astronomy, maritime navigation, and science in general.
Through the centuries the Paris Observatory has continued in support of astronomical activities, and in the 21st century connects multiple sites and organizations, supporting astronomy and science, past and present.
Administratively, it is a grand établissement of the French Ministry of National Education, with a status close to that of a public university. Its missions include:
Research in astronomy and astrophysics
Education (four graduate programs, Ph.D. studies)
Diffusion of knowledge to the public
It maintains a solar observatory at Meudon () and a radio astronomy observatory at Nançay.
It was also the home to the International Time Bureau until its dissolution in 1987.
The Paris Observatory Library, which was founded in 1785, provides the researchers with documentation and preserves the ancient books, archives, and heritage collections of the institution. Many collections are available online.
The Paris Observatory was proposed in 1665-1666 by the French Academy of Sciences, which had recently been founded by the Minister of Finance Jean-Baptiste Colbert. In 1666, King Louis XIV authorized the building of the Observatory. On Midsummer's Day 1667, members of the Academy of Sciences traced the future building's outline on a plot outside town near the Port Royal abbey, with the Paris meridian exactly bisecting the site north–south.
Official source
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