Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc (1 December 1580 – 24 June 1637), often known simply as
Peiresc, or by the Latin form of his name
Peirescius, was a
French astronomer,
antiquary and savant, who maintained a wide correspondence with scientists, and was a successful organizer of scientific inquiry. His research included a determination of the difference in
longitude of various locations in
Europe, around the
Mediterranean, and in
North Africa.