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Le Gentil: An 18th Century French Astronomer in Pondicherry

By (author) Sumitra Muthukumar

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India is a country filled with, so to speak, magic and enchantments. Those who set foot in it are metamorphosed, if I may say so. This counÂtry would appear to resemble Circeâ€™s enchanted island and palace, from?which?Ulysses?managed?to?get?away?with?difficulty.â€™ So writes Le Gentil, a French astronomer who came to Pondicherry on the Coromandel Coast in the eighteenth century, chasing a rare and famous transit across the Sun of Venus, the Shepherdâ€™s Star! It is believed that the destiny of every man is written in the stars!What becomes of Le Gentil who dedicated eleven years, six months, and thirteen days to observe an astronomical event that lasted about six hours? The pleasure lies not in the trip itself but in the telling of tales after returning home and he immortalized his experiences in a journal couched?in?French?which?can?now?be?read?by?Anglophones?too. Le Gentilâ€™s book is a mine of information for historians, astronomers or even the casual reader! Besides being a personal record of scientific travails and observation, the pages record minute details of Indian soÂciety of yore seen through the telescopic vision of a French astronomer!