Who is the astronomer?

Richard Francis PhD, Space Physicist and Astro-Photographer

Richard Francis, PhD, a retired Space Physicist from the University of Sheffield, UK, lives in La Romieu where in 2013 he designed and built his own Le Bourdieu Observatory. He completed it in 2015 when it was ready for its "first light".

Richard worked for British Aerospace in Bristol, UK, and for 30 years at the European Space Agency (ESA) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. He worked on a variety of missions, progressing from Altimeter System Engineer to Mission and System Engineer, and finally Project Manager for his last two ESA missions. Following his retirement in 2015, he continues to be involved in the development of ESA missions.

A true astronomy enthusiast, Richard started out as an amateur astronomer and photographer in his teens with a 6-inch reflector telescope. Over the years he has changed telescopes, cameras and mounts, upgrading to a Meade 8" LX90 in 2001 and a 12" LX200GPS in 2002, and continually evolving his equipment. Currently he uses an Oficina Stellare Ultra Corrected RC360 v3 telescope with a Paramount MEII mount and a Moravian C5A-100M camera (43.9mm x 32.9mm) with a filter wheel containing 50mm² filters for his astrophotography.

Despite the challenges of weather and light pollution, Richard and his wife Huguette Lacoste-Francis found the perfect location for Le Bourdieu in 2013, a beautiful farmhouse in La Romieu, with its elevated terrain, perfect horizon and low light pollution.

The observatory is an ongoing project with Richard constantly making improvements. His latest venture is a replica observatory in his office, used as a test bed for electronic and software improvements, ensuring the safety of the main observatory's equipment.