Who was Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington?
Q: Who was Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington?
A: Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington was an important English scientist in the early 20th century. He was an astronomer, physicist, and mathematician who did his greatest work in astrophysics. He was also a philosopher of science and a populariser of science.
Q: What is the Eddington limit?
A: The Eddington limit is named after him and is the natural limit to the luminosity of stars, or the radiation generated by accretion onto a compact object (which causes the luminosity).
Q: What did he anticipate around 1920?
A: Around 1920, he anticipated the discovery and mechanism of nuclear fusion in stars which he published in his paper "The Internal Constitution of the Stars". At that time, this source of stellar energy was a complete mystery but Eddington correctly speculated that it was fusion of hydrogen into helium.
Q: What else is he famous for?
A: He is also famous for his work on the theory of relativity where he wrote a number of articles that explained Einstein's theory to those who spoke English. Additionally, he conducted an expedition to observe a solar eclipse which gave one of the earliest confirmations for general relativity.
Q: How did World War I affect scientific communication?
A: World War I severed many lines of scientific communication so new developments in German science were not well known in England at this time.
Q: How did Eddington become known for his interpretations and expositions on general relativity?
A: Through his writings explaining Einstein's theory to those who spoke English as well as conducting an expedition to observe a solar eclipse which confirmed general relativity, Eddington became known for his popular expositions and interpretations on this theory.
