Dollfus, Audouin

Audouin Dollfus, in full Audouin-Charles Dollfus, (born November 12, 1924, Paris, France—died October 1, 2010, Versailles), French astronomer, successor to Bernard Lyot as the principal French authority on the solar system.

Dollfus made several balloon flights for high-altitude observations, including the first stratospheric ascension in France. On the basis of comparative light-polarizing qualities, he concluded that the surface material of Mars consists of pulverized limonite (an iron oxide, Fe₂O₃) and prepared a map of Venus showing what he believed to be permanent features. On December 15, 1966, he discovered Saturn’s 10th known satellite, Janus.