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Henri Chrétien

French astronomer (1879–1956)

Summary

French astronomer (1879–1956)

Field	Value
name	Henri Jacques Chrétien
image	Delegates to the Fourth Conference International Union for Cooperation in Solar Research at Mount Wilson Observatory.jpg
caption	Chrétien at the Fourth Conference International Union for Cooperation in Solar Research at Mount Wilson Observatory, 1910
birth_date	1 February 1879
birth_place	Paris, France
death_date	6 February 1956
death_place	Washington, D.C.
known_for	Ritchey–Chrétien telescope
fields	Astronomy
workplaces	Nice Observatory
École supérieure d'optique

École supérieure d'optique

Henri Jacques Chrétien (; 1 February 1879, Paris – 6 February 1956, Washington, D.C.) was a French astronomer and an inventor.

Trompe-l'œil mosaic floor in the Villa Paradou by Rainer Maria Latzke honoring Henri Chrétien,

Born in Paris, France, his most famous inventions are:

the anamorphic widescreen process, using an anamorphic lens system called Hypergonar, that resulted in the CinemaScope widescreen technique, and
the co-invention, with George Willis Ritchey, of the Ritchey–Chrétien telescope, an improved type of astronomical telescope, employing a system now used in virtually all large research telescopes.

He spent part of his early astronomical career at the Nice Observatory, which was close to his house, the Villa Paradou. The Villa was built by famous French architect Charles Garnier who also built the Nice Observatory and both the operas of Paris and Monaco. In 1995, the abandoned villa was acquired by the artist Rainer Maria Latzke, who restored it and added new murals to the existing frescoes.

Chrétien was one of the founders of the Institut d'optique théorique et appliquée and professor at the French "grande école" SupOptique (École supérieure d'optique).

Awards and honors

The astronomical Chrétien International Research Grants awards are in honor of him
In 1901, Chrétien, Joseph Joachim Landerer and Thomas David Anderson jointly received the Prix Jules Janssen, the highest award of the Société astronomique de France (French Astronomical Society).
Valz Prize from the French Academy of Sciences (1931)
The crater Chrétien on the Moon is named in his honor.
In 1955, he received an Academy Award for his work on the CinemaScope process
The Pavillon Henri Chrétien, an historical building on the Nice Observatory site which is visible from the city of Nice, also bears his name.

Publications

References

Lance Day & Ian McNeil, eds., ''Biographical Dictionary of the History of Technology'', 1995
Muriel., Emanuel. (1994). "Contemporary architects". [[St. James Press]].
[https://aas.org/grants-and-prizes/chrétien-international-research-grants Chrétien International Research Grants] {{webarchive. link. (2009-02-14)
(December 14, 1931). "Prix et Subventions Attribués en 1931: Prix Valz". Comptes Rendus Hebdomadaires des Séances de l'Académie des Sciences.
(Oct 18, 2010). "Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature: Chrétien". International Astronomical Union (IAU) / USGS Astrogeology Science Center.

Wikipedia Source

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20th-century-french-inventors french-scientific-instrument-makers optical-engineers 1879-births 1956-deaths 20th-century-french-astronomers 20th-century-french-engineers recipients-of-the-scientific-and-technical-academy-award-of-merit cinemascope scientists-from-paris

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