The Analysis of Starlight: Two Centuries of Astronomical Spectroscopy

First published in 1986, this is the story of the analysis of starlight by astronomical spectroscopy. Beginning with Joseph Fraunhofer's discovery of spectral lines in the early nineteenth century, this new edition continues the story through to the year 2000. In addition to the key discoveries, it presents the cultural and social history of stellar astrophysics by introducing the leading astronomers and their struggles, triumphs and disagreements. Basic concepts in spectroscopy and spectral analysis are included, so both observational and theoretical aspects are described, in a non-mathematical framework. This new edition covers the final decades of the twentieth century, with its major advances in stellar astrophysics: the discovery of extrasolar planets, new classes of stars and the observation of the ultraviolet spectra of stars from satellites. The in-depth coverage of the subject makes it essential reading for graduate students working in stellar spectroscopy, as well as a major reference for professional and amateur astronomers and historians of science.

John Hearnshaw is Professor of Astronomy at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. His research interests span stellar astrophysics, astronomical spectrographs, and the historical development of astrophysics. He is a Fellow of Royal Society of New Zealand, a member of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), and a Foreign Associate of the Royal Astronomical Society of London. Professor Hearnshaw is the author of four books and 200 papers in astronomical literature, and has served as editor for seven conference proceedings. He has held visiting positions at Astrophysikalisches Institut Potsdam, Nagoya University, and National University of Mongolia, Ulaan Baatar. He has also served as Chair of IAU Program Group for the Worldwide Development of Astronomy, with lecture tours to Mongolia, Cuba, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Mauritius, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Paraguay, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Fiji and North Korea.