Edmond Modeste Lescarbault (1814, Chateaudun ? 1894, Orgeres-en-Beauce ), was a French medical doctor and an amateur astronomer , best remembered for his 1859 supposed observation of the non-existent planet Vulcan .

He graduated and obtained his diploma from the University of Paris in 1848. He then started to work as a doctor in Orgeres-en-Beauce and worked there until 1872 (the street where he worked is now named after him). A keen astronomer, he built an observatory with a 3.75 inches (95 mm) refractor by his house and began correspondence with various scientific societies. On 26 March 1859 he saw a small object transiting the Sun ^[1] and having heard of Le Verrier's theory of an intramercurial planet named Vulcan, he wrote a letter to the astronomer and was consequently visited by him in December 1859. ^[2] Le Verrier announced the discovery on 2 January 1860. Lescarbault became Chevalier of the Legion d'honneur ^[3] and was invited to appear before numerous learned societies. Most likely what he had seen was not Vulcan but a sunspot.

His manuscripts, including correspondence with Camille Flammarion , are kept in the Bibliotheque Municipale in Chateaudun. He died in 1894.

See also [ edit ]

• Vulcan (hypothetical planet)
• Urbain Le Verrier

References [ edit ]

External links [ edit ]

• About E. M. Lescarbault, with photos, in French