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Roger Cayrel

1925 – 2021

French astronomer

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About Roger Cayrel

Lived 1925 – 2021 (aged 95). Roger Cayrel was a French astronomer.

Roger Victor Émile Cayrel (4 December 1925 – 11 January 2021) was a French astronomer. His main interests were stellar atmospheres, galactic chemical evolution and metal-poor stars.

Biography Born in Bordeaux, France, he attended the Lycée Michel-Montaigne in Bordeaux and studied physics at the École normale supérieure and the Faculté des sciences de Paris.

Beside his scientific work, he had a number of high-ranking posts in the management of science: director of the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT, 1974–1980), president of the IAU commission on stellar atmospheres (1973–1976) and head of the Bureau des Longitudes (1995–1996).

Cayrel was a corresponding member of the Académie des Sciences from 1988 to 2021. He was awarded the Prix Jules Janssen of the Société astronomique de France (Astronomical Society of France), in 2001.

Cayrel and his colleagues discovered thorium and uranium in the ultra-metal-poor halo star BPS CS31082-0001, which was named Cayrel's Star to honour him. From the thorium and uranium content, an age of 12.5 Billion years could be calculated.

Since 1954, he was married to the Italian astronomer Giusa de Strobel.

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Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Education
Lycée Michel-Montaigne, École Normale Supérieure, Science Faculty of Paris
Positions held
Chief officer, Chairperson
Awards
Prix Jules Janssen; Prix de l'Etat

People in Roger Cayrel's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Roger Cayrel's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Roger Cayrel?

French astronomer

When was Roger Cayrel born?

Roger Cayrel was born on 4 December 1925 in Bordeaux.

When did Roger Cayrel die?

Roger Cayrel died on 11 January 2021 in 14th arrondissement of Paris.

What was Roger Cayrel's occupation?

Roger Cayrel was an astronomer.

What nationality was Roger Cayrel?

Roger Cayrel was French.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Roger Cayrel

· Wikidata: Q324613

· DBpedia: Roger Cayrel

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Roger Cayrel. https://biography.guide/roger-cayrel/

MLA: "Roger Cayrel." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/roger-cayrel/.

Chicago: "Roger Cayrel." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/roger-cayrel/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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