Book

Born in 1923, Jean-Claude Pecker is a leading scientist, author and rationalist in France. He was Professor at Coll?ge d\' France from 1964 to 1988 and Director of Institute of Astrophysics from 1972 to 1979. At present he is the General Secretary of International Astronomical Union and Secretary of the International Academy of Humanism. He has authored several books and hundreds of papers on astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology, human rights, pseudo-sciences, science & society and history of astronomy. - http://www.rationalistinternational.net/associates/jc_pecker.htm

Selected books:

• Le Ciel (1959), Astrophysique G?n?rale (w. Schatzman 1959)
• Astronomie Exp?rimentale (1969)
• Les Laboratoires Spatiaux (1969, 1971)
• Papa, dis-moi, qu\'est-ce que c\'est que l\'Astronomie (1971)
• Clefs pour l\'Astronomie (1981)
• Sous l\'?toile Soleil (1984)
• Astronomie Flammartion (Dir.1986)
• Pour comprendre l\'Univers (w.Delsemme & Reeves 1988)
• L\'avenir du Soleil (1990)
• Le Promeneur du Soleil (1992)
• Le Soleil est une ?toile (1992, 1999)
• Understanding the Heavens (1999)

Honours and Awards:

• Cmdr L?gion d\'honneur, Gd.Officer Ordre Nat. M?rite, Cmdr Palmes Acad.
• Prizes: Forthuny (Ac.Sc.Paris), Manley-Bendall, Stroobant (Ac.Roy.Belgium), Jean Perrin (Soc.Fr.Phys.), Lod?n (Astr.Soc. Uppsala, Sweden), Trois-Physiciens, Union Rationaliste, and others
• Medals: Silver CNRS, Janssen (Soc.Astron.Fr.), Janssen (Soc. Fr.Photogr.), ADION medal and others

Highlights (See http://www.academie-sciences.fr/membres/P/Pecker_JC_bio.htm):

• Jean-Claude Pecker, n? le 10 mai 1923, est Professeur honoraire au Coll?ge de France.
• ?l?ve de l\'?cole normale sup?rieure (1942-1946)
• Agr?g? de sciences physiques (1946)
• Docteur ?s sciences (1950)
• Ma?tre de conf?rences ? Clermont-Ferrand (1952-1955)
• Astronome ? l\'Observatoire de Paris (1955-1963)
• Directeur de l\'Observatoire de Nice (1962-1961)
• Professeur au Coll?ge de France (1963-1988)
• Directeur de l\'Institut d\'astrophysique du CNRS (1972-1978)
• Secr?taire g?n?ral de l\'Union Astronomique (1967-1970)
• Pr?sident du Comit? d\'Orientation du Mus?e de la Villette (1983-1986)
• Pr?sident du comit? national de cultur scientifique et technique (1986-1988)
• Vice-Pr?sident de la Commission nationale pour l\'UNESCO (1990-1996)

Alternate address: College de France, 3, rue d\'Ulm, 75231 Paris (Cedex) France

Professor Jayant Vishnu Narlikar is an Indian astrophysicist. Narlikar is a defender of the steady state cosmology. His work on conformal gravity theory with Sir Fred Hoyle, called Hoyle-Narlikar theory, demonstrated a synthesis can be achieved between Albert Einstein\'s theory of relativity and Mach\'s principle. India\'s second highest civilian honour, Padma Vibhushan, was awarded to him for his work. Prof. Narlikar is the founder director of the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) at Pune, India.