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Books > Science & Mathematics > Physics > Applied physics & special topics > Astrophysics
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The Story of Helium and the Birth of Astrophysics (Paperback, 2013 ed.)
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The Story of Helium and the Birth of Astrophysics (Paperback, 2013 ed.)
Series: Astronomers' Universe
Expected to ship within 10 - 15 working days
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What if one of the most thrilling stories in the history of science
turned out to be wrong? Can urban legends creep into the hallowed
grounds of scientific history? As incredible as it may sound, the
story of one of the most important elements in modern times helium
- has been often misrepresented in books, encyclopedias, and online
sources, despite the fact that archival materials tell a different
story. Open the entry for Helium in any encyclopaedia and you will
read a false story that has been repeated over the years.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, for example, says that helium was
discovered by the French astronomer Pierre Janssen while observing
a total solar eclipse from India in 1868. Apparently he noticed
something new in the spectrum of the sun, which he thought was the
signature of an undiscovered element.
The truth is that Janssen never saw any sign of a new element
during his observations in India. His reports and letters do not
mention any such claim.
Other sources would have you believe that helium was jointly
discovered by Janssen and Norman Lockyer, a British scientist, and
that their discovery letters reached Paris the same day, one sent
from India, and the other from England.
Again, the truth is completely different. Two letters from Lockyer
and Janssen did reach Paris the same day in 1868, but their letters
did not mention any new element. What they had discovered was a new
way of observing the Sun without a solar eclipse. This would
ultimately lead to the discovery of helium, in which Lockyer would
play a prominent role, but not Janssen.
At the same time, Norman Robert Pogson, a disgruntled British
astronomer stationed in India did notice something peculiar during
the eclipse. He was the first one to notice something odd about the
spectrum of the Sun that day, and his observations would prove
crucial to Lockyer s own investigations of helium. But Pogson s
report was never published in any peer reviewed journal and it
languished on the desk of a local British officer in colonial
India.
This book tells the real story behind the discovery of helium,
along with biographical sketches of the scientists and descriptions
of the milieu in which they worked. It will convey the excitement,
confusion, and passion of nineteenth century scientists, using
their own words, from their letters and reports.
The Story of Helium and the Birth of Astrophysics chronicles one
of the most exciting discoveries ever made and explains why it also
marked the birth of a new branch of science called astrophysics. "
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