Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille
Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille | |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 March 1713 Rumigny, France |
| Died | 21 March 1762 (aged 49) Paris, France |
| Citizenship | French |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy |
Abbé Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille (French: [nikɔla lwi də lakaj]; 15 March 1713 – 21 March 1762), formerly sometimes spelled de la Caille, was a French astronomer and geodesist who named 14 out of the 88 constellations. From 1750 to 1754, he studied the sky at the Cape of Good Hope in present-day South Africa. Lacaille observed over 10,000 stars using a refracting telescope.