Guillaume Le Gentil

Guillaume Le Gentil
Born
Guillaume Joseph Hyacinthe Jean-Baptiste Le Gentil de la Galaisière

11 or (1725-09-12)12 September 1725
Coutances, France
Died22 October 1792(1792-10-22) (aged 67)
Paris, France
Known forM32
Scientific career
FieldsAstronomy

Guillaume Joseph Hyacinthe Jean-Baptiste Le Gentil de la Galaisière (French pronunciation: [ɡijom lə ʒɑ̃ti], 11 or 12 September 1725 – 22 October 1792) was a French astronomer who discovered several nebulae and was appointed to the Royal Academy of Sciences. He wrote on the estimation of the distance from the Earth to the Sun using solar transits, made unsuccessful attempts to observe the 1761 and 1769 transits of Venus from India during an 11-year journey from France, and wrote a popular account of his adventures and misadventures during the journey.

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