About Georges Rayet
Lived 1839 – 1906 (aged 66). Georges Rayet was a French astronomer.
Georges-Antoine-Pons Rayet (12 December 1839 – 14 June 1906) was a 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 the founder and director of the Bordeaux Observatory for more than 25 years until his death.
Rayet discovered Wolf–Rayet stars together with Charles Wolf in 1867 using a spectroscope the pair had made with an emission spectrum, rather than using absorption spectroscopy which was more typical for the time.
He was awarded the Janssen Medal from the French Academy of Sciences in 1891.
Obituaries AN 172 (1906) 111//112 (in French) ApJ 25 (1906) 53 Obs 29 (1906) 332 (one paragraph) PASP 18 (1906) 280 (one sentence)
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Georges Rayet?
French astronomer (1839–1906)
When was Georges Rayet born?
Georges Rayet was born on 12 December 1839 in Bordeaux.
When did Georges Rayet die?
Georges Rayet died on 14 June 1906 in Bordeaux.
What was Georges Rayet's occupation?
Georges Rayet was an astronomer.
What nationality was Georges Rayet?
Georges Rayet was French.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Georges Rayet. https://biography.guide/georges-rayet/
MLA: "Georges Rayet." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/georges-rayet/.
Chicago: "Georges Rayet." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/georges-rayet/.
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