Gérard de Vaucouleurs

French astronomer (1918-1995)
Person human Q981340
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Summary

Gérard de Vaucouleurs was born on April 25, 1918[1], in Paris[2]. He died on October 7, 1995[3], in Austin[4]. He worked as an astronomer[5] and university teacher[6]. He ranks in the top 0.73% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (251 views/month, #7,288 of 1,000,298).[7]

Key Facts

  • Date of birth: 1918[8]
  • Date of death: 1995[9]
  • Spouse: Antoinette de Vaucouleurs[10]
  • Country of citizenship: France[11], United States[12]
  • Field of work: astronomy[13]
  • Employer: University of Texas at Austin[14], Harvard University[15], Australian National University[16], Mount Stromlo Observatory[17]
  • Educated at: Science Faculty of Paris[18], University of Paris[19]
  • Award received: Prix Jules Janssen[20], Henry Norris Russell Lectureship[21], Herschel Medal[22]
  • Member of: National Academy of Sciences[23]
  • Sex or gender: male[24]
  • Participated in conflict: World War II[25]
  • Family name: de Vaucouleurs[26]
  • Given name: Gérard[27]
  • Professorship: professor[28]
  • Described by source: Astronomers: A Biographical Reference[29]
  • Languages spoken, written or signed: French[30], English[31]
  • Name in native language: Gérard de Vaucouleurs[32]
  • Interested in: astronomy[33]

Body

Works and Contributions

Things named for Gérard de Vaucouleurs include De Vaucouleurs' law[34], a physical law[35].

Why It Matters

Gérard de Vaucouleurs has Wikipedia articles in 14 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[36] He is known by 29 alternative names across languages and contexts.[37]

He has been cited as an influence by Margaret Burbidge[38], an astronomer[39], 1919–2020[40], of United Kingdom[41], awarded the Fellow of the Royal Society[42], specialised in astrophysics[43].

He is credited with the discovery of Virgo Supercluster[44], a supercluster[45] and Dorado Group[46], a galaxy cluster[47]. Entities named for him include De Vaucouleurs' law[34], a physical law[35].

FAQs

Where was Gérard de Vaucouleurs born?

Gérard de Vaucouleurs's place of birth was Paris[2].

Where did Gérard de Vaucouleurs die?

Gérard de Vaucouleurs died in Austin[4].

Who was Gérard de Vaucouleurs married to?

Gérard de Vaucouleurs's spouses include Antoinette de Vaucouleurs[10].

What did Gérard de Vaucouleurs do for work?

Gérard de Vaucouleurs worked as an astronomer[5] and university teacher[6].

Where did Gérard de Vaucouleurs go to school?

Gérard de Vaucouleurs was educated at Science Faculty of Paris[18] and University of Paris[19].

What awards did Gérard de Vaucouleurs receive?

Honors received include Prix Jules Janssen[20], Henry Norris Russell Lectureship[21], and Herschel Medal[22].

Who did Gérard de Vaucouleurs influence?

Gérard de Vaucouleurs has been cited as an influence by Margaret Burbidge[38].

What did Gérard de Vaucouleurs discover?

Gérard de Vaucouleurs is credited as discoverer of Virgo Supercluster[44] and Dorado Group[46].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] ↑ . Great Norwegian Encyclopedia. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  2. [4] ↑ . Great Norwegian Encyclopedia. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  3. [24] ↑ . Virtual International Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  4. [10] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  5. [11] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  6. [12] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  7. [18] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  8. [19] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  9. [13] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  10. [5] ↑ . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  11. [6] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  12. [14] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  13. [15] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  14. [16] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  15. [17] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  16. [20] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  17. [21] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  18. [22] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  19. [23] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  20. [1] ↑ . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  21. [8] ↑ . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  22. [3] ↑ . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  23. [9] ↑ . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  24. [25] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  25. [26] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  26. [27] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  27. [28] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  28. [29] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  29. [30] ↑ . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  30. [31] ↑ . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  31. [32] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  32. [33] ↑ . wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [38] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [44] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [46] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [34] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [39] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [40] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [41] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [42] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [43] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [45] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [47] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [35] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [7] ↑ . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [36] ↑ . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [37] ↑ . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

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APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Gérard de Vaucouleurs. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/g-rard-de-vaucouleurs
MLA “Gérard de Vaucouleurs.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 20 Oct. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/g-rard-de-vaucouleurs.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_g-rard-de-vaucouleurs_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Gérard de Vaucouleurs}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/g-rard-de-vaucouleurs}, note = {Accessed: 2026-10-20}}
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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 5d ago · OKA bot bot · 2026-10-17 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Wikipedia languages → ['arz', 'ca', 'de', 'el', 'en', 'es', 'fi', 'fr', 'he', 'hr', 'it', 'ko', 'lb',
    Claims rich → —
    "/* wbeditentity-update-languages-and-other-short:0||nb */ other names, source for place of birth, source for place of death, source for date of death from Store norske leksikon ([[Wikidata:Requests fo"
  2. 25w ago · MariuszRokin · 2026-04-30 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Professorship → professor
    Aliases → —
    Award received → Prix Jules Janssen, Henry Norris Russell Lectureship, Herschel Medal
    Citizenship → —
    + 29 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ Prabook id: 1301455, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/257026|batch #257026]]"
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