Pierre Charles Le Monnier (23 November 1715 - 31 May 1799) was a French astronomer. His name is sometimes given as Lemonnier. Le Monnier was born in Paris, where his father Pierre (1675-1757), also an astronomer, was professor of philosophy at the college d'Harcourt. His first recorded astronomical observation was made before he was sixteen, and the presentation of an elaborate lunar map resulted in his admission to the French Academy of Sciences, on 21 April 1736, aged only 20. The crater Le Monnier on the Moon is named after him. Read more