DOLLFUS, AUDOUIN

born Nov. 12, 1924, Paris, France in full Audouin-charles Dollfus 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 Dec. 15, 1966, he discovered Saturn's 10th known satellite, Janus.