Edmond Lescarbault

Vocation

Traits

French physician, scientist and amateur astronomer. He discovered Vulcan, once thought to be a planet orbiting between Mercury and the sun; however, since it was never consistently seen again, it is believed to have been a rogue asteroid that he had sighted. Edmond Modeste Lescarbault was a shy little man who lived in the small village of Orgeres-en-Beauce, France. On 3/26/1859 during his regular observations of the sun, he saw a round black spot that he believed to be an intra-mercurial planet. Naming it Vulcan after the Roman god of fire, he sent his observations to France’s most famous astronomer, Jean LeVerrier, in December 1859. The two men met only once, and during their meeting, LeVerrier was convinced of Lescarbault’s honesty. As a result, LeVerrier remained strong in his belief in the existence of Vulcan throughout his life.