Norman Lockyer, "Notice of an Observation of the Spectrum of a Solar Prominence"; Lieutenant John Herschel "Account of the solar eclipse of 1868, as seen at Jamkandi in the Bombay Presidency"; and Captain C. T. Haig "Account of spectroscopic observations of the eclipse of the sun, August 18th,1868" all in "Proceedings of the Royal Society of London"

Norman Lockyer, John Herschel, C.T. Haig, and many others.

Published by Taylor and Francis, London, 1869

About this Item

**First reported observations of an "Alien" Element//First reported observations of Helium in the sun.** Norman Lockyer, "Notice of an Observation of the Spectrum of a Solar Prominence" (pp.91-92); and Lieutenant John Herschel "Account of the solar eclipse of 1868, as seen at Jamkandi in the Bombay Presidency" (pp. 104-120). And Captain C. T. Haig "Account of spectroscopic observations of the eclipse of the sun, August 18th,1868" by (pp 74-80). All in "Proceedings of the Royal Society of London", Taylor and Francis, London, volume 17 volume for1868-1869, printed 1869; ix, 1-154, lxxiv, 155-526pp, folding map, 8 plates. Newly and beautifully bound in calf-backed marbled boards. Lovely work! Title page shows the provenance of the math library at the University of Bonn. Margins somewhat trimmed. There is also a small (3mm) hole through 4 leaves at top line of text pp 265-269. The text is in general very crisp and bright but for that small detraction. [++] This report is on the discovery of an unknown element in the spectrum of the Sun, occurring during a much-observed and highly anticipated eclipse. The amazing piece of this discovery at the time was that this element, known now as Helium, was the first discovery of what was then known as an "extraterrestrial" element, since helium had not yet been discovered on the Earth. [++] "Three astronomers, Norman Lockyer, John Herschel and Captain C. T. Haig each note the observation of a new spectral line in the sun, but fail to identify it as helium. Later the same year, Lockyer identified the line as that of a new element and published the "discovery in the "Philosophical Transactions"."--David Wenner, History of Physics. [++] I often look at the bright yellow ray emitted from the chromosphere of the sun, by that unknown element, helium, as the astronomers have ventured to call it. It seems trembling with excitement to tell its story, and how many unseen companions it has."--John William Draper to the American Chemical Society, 1876, quoted in Lorraine Boissoneault, "How Scientists Discovered Helium, the First Alien Element, 150 Years Ago", "Smithsonian Magazine", 2018. [++] On August 18, 1868, Pierre Janssen observed the existence of helium in the solar spectrum, never before seen on Earth. He and Lockyer presented their papers at the same day to the French Academy of Sciences, which meant that both men would receive credit for the discovery of helium. See: "APS News", August/September 2014 (Volume 23, Number 8).

Seller Inventory # ABE-1670294678258

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Norman Lockyer, "Notice of an Observation of the Spectrum of a Solar Prominence"; Lieutenant John Herschel "Account of the solar eclipse of 1868, as seen at Jamkandi in the Bombay Presidency"; and Captain C. T. Haig "Account of spectroscopic observations of the eclipse of the sun, August 18th,1868" all in "Proceedings of the Royal Society of London"
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis, London
• Publication Date: 1869
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Fine
• Seller catalogs:
  • Chemistry
  • Physics
  • Astrophysics