Early Solar Physics

Book excerpt: Early Solar Physics reviews developments in solar physics, particularly the advent of solar spectroscopy and the discovery of relationships between the various layers of the solar atmosphere and between the different forms of solar activity. Topics covered include solar observations during 1843; chemical analysis of the solar atmosphere; the spectrum of a solar prominence; and the solar eclipse of December 12, 1871. Spectroscopic observations of the sun are also presented. This book is comprised of 30 chapters and begins with an overview of ideas about the sun in the mid-nineteenth century, followed by a summary of progress in astronomy between 1850 and 1900, including observations of the solar surface, sunspots, and solar flares. The founding of the Mount Wilson Solar Observatory is cited. Observations of the sun made with solar spectroscopy are presented, including those of the sun's temperature. The results of a detailed examination of spectra photographed during the solar eclipse of January 22, 1898 are also discussed. The final chapter examines the magnetic properties of the earth and sun. This monograph will be a useful resource for astronomers, astrophysicists, and those interested in discovering many aspects of the sun.