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EncyclopediaLalande, Joseph Jérôme Lefrançais deLalande, Joseph Jérôme Lefrançais de (zhôzef' zhārōm' lufräNsā' du läläNd') [key], 1732–1807, French astronomer. Under the direction of the French Academy of Science, he went to Berlin in 1751 to make observations on the parallax of the moon for comparison with those that Nicolas Lacaille was making at the Cape of Good Hope. In spite of his youth, he was admitted to the Berlin Academy. In 1760 he became professor of astronomy in the Collège de France, holding the post for 46 years. In 1768 he became director of the Paris Observatory. The Lalande Prize, which he established in 1802, is awarded for the outstanding achievement in astronomy each year. His works include Traité d'astronomie (1764); Histoire céleste française (1801), including a catalog of over 47,000 stars; and Bibliographie astronomique (1802). The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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