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Pierre Janssen
(22 Feb 1824 - 23 Dec 1907)
French astronomer who made the first photographs of the granular structure of the Sun's surface, and studied its spectrum
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Science Quotes by Pierre Janssen (1 quote)
Immediately after totality, two splendid protuberances appeared; one of them, of more than 3 minute height, shone of a splendor which it is difficult to imagine. The analysis of its light showed me immediately that it was formed by an immense incandescent gas column, mainly made up of hydrogen gas.
— Pierre Janssen
About his observations of a solar eclipse (18 Aug 1868), viewed from Guntur, India, reported in Comptes Rendus (19 Sep 1868), 67, 838. As cited, and given in translation, in Wheeler M. “Bo” Sears, Jr., Helium, the Disappearing Element (2015), 44. From the original French, “Immédiatement après la totalité, deux magnifiques protubérances ont apparu; l’une d’elles, de plus de 3 min de hauteur, brillait d’une splendeur qu’il est difficile d’imaginer. L’analyse de sa lumière m’a immédiatement montré qu’elle était formée par une immense colonne gazeuse incandescente, principalement compose de gaz hydrogène.” [Notably, Janssen fails to mention anything about a yellow line of unknown origin (later identified as helium) in this report.]
See also:
- 22 Feb - short biography, births, deaths and events on date of Janssen's birth.
- The Observatory On Top Of Mont Blanc
- The Astronomer Jules Janssen: A Globetrotter of Celestial Physics, by Françoise Launay. - book suggestion.
In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion.
(1987) -- 
