Conférence "Les instruments d'observation céleste"

Astronomical instruments … from Galileo’s telescope to the present day

From the first astronomical telescope used by Galileo in the early 17th century to today’s giant telescopes and digital cameras, instruments for observing the sky have continued to evolve.
This lecture traces the key milestones in this scientific and technological adventure.
We will discover how astronomers have progressed from simple visual observations to images of remarkable precision obtained from the ground or from space. Telescopes, electronic detectors and modern image-processing techniques will be presented, along with their operating principles and the discoveries they have made possible.
A journey through four centuries of innovations that have profoundly transformed our view of the Universe.
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Cyril RICHARD has held a PhD in molecular spectroscopy since 2010 (Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University). Joint winner of the 2023 prize from the Academy of Sciences, Arts and Literature for the book: *Light to Probe the World – Spectroscopy and its Applications*. Published by Ellipses
Cyril RICHARD is a CNRS Research Engineer.
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Date: Monday 2 November 2026
Venue: Conference Hall – Châtillon-sur-Seine Town Hall (entrance: Rue du Président Carnot)
The lectures begin at 2.30 pm sharp: doors open at 2.15 pm