On June 10, 2025, La Poste issued a stamp bearing the image of Camille Flammarion, astronomer, to mark the centenary of his death.
Camille Flammarion was born on February 26, 1842, in Montigny-le-Roi. From a very modest background, this apostle of science worked his entire life to spread his passion for the study and observation of natural phenomena to all walks of life.
In 1858, he joined the Bureau des Computations at the Paris Observatory, attracted by the prospect of discovering the wonders of the sky. But this prestigious institution dealt only with celestial mechanics and not with astrophysics. Disappointed, he left in 1862 just after publishing his first work, The Plurality of Inhabited Worlds. But Flammarion did not forget amateur astronomers, among whom his works (more than 50, including Popular Astronomy in 1880, his masterpiece) had awakened many vocations. In 1883, he founded a large observatory on a beautiful property in Juvisy-sur-Orge.
In 1887, he brought together a group of friends of science and with them created the French Astronomical Society, which soon boasted a popular observatory open to all in the heart of the Latin Quarter. The journal L'Astronomie became its monthly bulletin, distributed across five continents. Flammarion, after serving as its first president, remained its secretary general until his death on June 3, 1925. Gabrielle, his second wife, would take up the torch and continue his work. Even in the 21st century, the "Flammarion spirit," a subtle blend of scientific rigor, selflessness, enthusiasm, and faith in the future, continues to inspire the French Astronomical Society.
As part of the "Flammarion 2025" committee, created to celebrate the centenary of Camille Flammarion's death, this tribute is paid to this French astronomer and popularizer of science.
