[ASTRONOMY] Georges Rayet (1839-1906) French astronomer. He was born in Bordeaux, France. He began working at the Paris Observatory in 1863. He worked on meteorology in addition to astronomy. He specialized in what was then the new field of spectroscopy. He was founder and director of the Bordeaux Observatory for more than 25 years until his death. He discovered Wolf-Rayet stars together with Charles Wolf in 1867. Two superb ALSs, 1884 and 1892, 1-page each, on Observatoire de Bordeaux stationery. Both are to the noted French astronomer, Amedee Mouchez (1821-1892) French naval officer who became director of the Paris Observatory and launched the ill-fated Carte du Ciel project in 1887. In 1887, he collaborated with Sir David Gill to host an international astronomical conference in Paris. The principal outcome of the conference was a multi-national project to compile and index a photographic atlas of the heavens, the Carte du Ciel. The project consumed massive effort over several decades before it was rendered obsolete by modern astronomical methods. Both letters [not translated] appear to be of excellent content.

FINE