Norman Robert Pogson and Observations of the Total Solar Eclipse of 1868 From Masulipatam, India

Bibliographic Data

ID21715839
AuthorsBiman B Nath (0000-0003-1922-9406), Wayne Orchiston
Year2021
Volume24
Issue3
Pages629-651
Publication date2021-09-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Astronomical History and Heritage (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1440-2807
PublisherChina Science Publishing & Media Ltd. (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.3724/sp.j.1440-2807.2021.03.05
OpenAlexW4319017162
LanguageEN
Citations received7

Norman Pogson's observations of the 1868 total solar eclipse were significant in many respects. He not only distinguished the helium emission line from the Fraunhofer sodium D line, but also discovered the FeXIV green line. Until recently, he was never properly credited with these discoveries by historians of astronomy. In this paper, we discuss in detail the observations made by Pogson and his small team at Masulipatam, after describing the background of their preparation for the expedition. We also describe how they were helped by some and sidelined by others, and how various factors led to the discoveries that they being hidden from colleagues. It was only with the publication of Nath's book The Story of Helium and the Birth of Astrophysics in 2013 that Pogson's achievements in 1868 became widely known and were able to take their rightful place in the annals of science

Annals · Astronomy · Eclipse · Physics · Solar eclipse · Classics · Historical Astronomy and Related Studies · History · History and Developments in Astronomy · Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics

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