The Frenchman started the famed Messier Catalogue of 110 astronomical objects, which we have been gradually covering for Deep Sky Videos.
Messier worked at the Hotel De Cluny in Paris - the observatory itself was atop the thick tower at the right of this picture (the observatory itself is now gone). See below.
The building is now a museum dedicated to the middles ages. Staff inside seemed to know very little about its association with Messier. I was disappointed.
However the SEDS site has some nice stuff about the building and Messier, including a picture of when the observatory was on top of the tower - worth a look.
Next stop was Messier's grave, at the famed Père Lachaise Cemetery.
The cemetery is full of famous people - including Oscar Wilde and Jim Morisson - and there is a map at the entrance with directions to famous sites.
But again Messier - the seemingly forgotten man - was not included.
Luckily I'd found plenty of helpful tips and directions on the web, and found the grave with only minimal fuss.
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While I was there, Mrs PeriodicVideos took my job as interviewer and fired a few extra questions at me.
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