6
votes
How did Kelvin square his low estimate of the age of the sun with the geological evidence?
Kelvin did think that "uniform density with a fudge factor" was good enough. The more detailed considerations of the density profile were made by T.J.J. See in 1899, where he used the "...
- 80k
3
votes
Accepted
Earliest use of the word 'polytropic' to describe an equation of state or process
The best source of word origins and their earliest usages is the Unabridged Oxford English Dictionary. You need a library subscription.
The first meaning could be of mathematical original since n ...
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2
votes
Earliest numeric value for helium D3 line
The earliest references that I can find about the measurement of helium D3 line is
D'Arrest, H. L. (1872). Über die Position der Lichtlinie D3 im Protuberanzspectrum. Astronomische Nachrichten, 79, 1. ...
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1
vote
Given that the ancient Greeks had a rough idea of the great distance, did any of them suggest the sun was not just a big fire?
...is there any record of speculation that the heat of the sun came from something other than a large wood (since I believe that was what Greek's burned) fire?
The Presocratics proposed numerous ...
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1
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What did the Italian Nobel laureate Riccardo Giacconi think about the Multiverse hypothesis?
I can confirm that there isn't anything on the net.
Moreover, Giacconni has written two books, one on X-Ray astronomy, first published in 1974 and although he mentions the cosmic X-Ray background ...
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1
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Why is it that so many early astronomers and cosmologists wanted to believe in a static/infinite/eternal Universe?
Personally I'm surprised that this is the case given that for hundreds of years Europe was Christian and the biblical Genesis quite matter of factly said that the universe was created. It's strange ...
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