Notice bibliographique
- Notice
Type(s) de contenu et mode(s) de consultation : Texte noté : électronique
Auteur(s) : Nath, Biman
Titre(s) : The story of helium and the birth of astrophysics [Texte électronique] / Biman B. Nath
Publication : New York : Springer, cop. 2013
Description matérielle : 1 ressource dématérialisée
Collection : Astronomers' universe
Note(s) : Includes bibliographical references and index
Helium was the first element ever discovered by astronomers. Its presence was first
indicated in the Sun and not on Earth. Further, its discovery marked the birth of
the new science of astrophysics. However, it turns out that the events leading to
the discovery of helium have been rather misrepresented in books, journals, and even
encyclopedias. The usual story about its joint discovery during a solar eclipse in
1868 by French astronomer Pierre Janssen and late in England by Norman Lockyer, is
far from the truth. Janssen never mentioned any new spectral line in his reports.
The actual story turns out to be as dramatic as in fiction. This book tells the story
without jargon, using the words of the scientists themselves (from their letters and
reports), and rescues the real story from the backwaters of history
Sujet(s) : Hélium -- Spectres
Astrophysique -- Histoire
Indice(s) Dewey :
546.751 (23e éd.) = Hélium (chimie)
Identifiants, prix et caractéristiques : ISBN 9781461453635
Identifiant de la notice : ark:/12148/cb446653230
Notice n° :
FRBNF44665323
(notice reprise d'un réservoir extérieur)
Table des matières : The unbearable lightness of a 'noble' element -- ; From alchemy to chemistry -- ;
From chemistry to the stars -- ; Father Secchi, the priest who became an astronomer
-- ; Janssen, a traveling scientist -- ; Norman Lockyer, clerk turned astronomer --
; James F. Tennant, soldier turned astronomer -- ; Guntur, the small town at the center
of attention -- ; The perpetual eclipse of 1868 -- ; Lockyer and his cosmic hieroglyphics
-- ; The ghost element that refused to be identified -- ; Helium on Earth -- ; The
folklore and reality of the discovery of helium.
