1868 ⟶ Discovery of Helium
Astronomers notice a new bright emission line in the spectru...
Year
1814
1843
1846
1868
1971
☀️ Fraunhofer Develops Spectrometer and Studies Solar Spectrum
Joseph von Fraunhofer builds the first accurate spectrometer and uses it to study the spectrum of the Sun's light. He discovers and maps hundreds of fine dark lines crossing the solar spectrum. In 1859 these lines are linked to chemical elements in the Sun's atmosphere. Spectroscopy becomes a method for studying what stars are made of.⟶
PhysicsSpectroscopySolar SpectrumJoseph von FraunhoferAstronomy19th Century ScienceElementsAstrophysics
Germany☀️ Discovery of Sunspot Cycle
German amateur astronomer Heinrich Schwabe, who had been studying the Sun for the past 17 years, announces his discovery of a regular cycle in sunspot numbers - the first clue to the Sun's internal structure.⟶
AstronomySolar PhysicsSunspotsHeinrich Schwabe19th CenturySolar CycleAstronomy
Germany🪐 Discovery of Neptune
A new planet, Neptune, is identified by German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle while searching in the position suggested by Urbain Le Verrier. Le Verrier has calculated the position and size of the planet from the effects of its gravitational pull on the orbit of Uranus. An English mathematician, John Couch Adams, also made a similar calculation a year earlier.⟶
AstronomyPlanetary ScienceNeptuneUrbain Le VerrierJohn Couch AdamsJohann Gottfried Galle19th CenturyCelestial MechanicsGravitation
Germany
France☀️ Discovery of Helium
Astronomers notice a new bright emission line in the spectrum of the Sun's atmosphere during an eclipse. The emission line is caused by an element's giving out light, and British astronomer Norman Lockyer concludes that it is an element unknown on Earth. He calls it helium, from the Greek word for the Sun. Nearly 30 years later, helium is found on Earth.⟶
AstronomyPhysicsHeliumLockyerSpectroscopy19th CenturyElementsSolar System
United Kingdom⚛️ Discovery of Helium-3 Superfluidity
PhysicsSuperfluidityHelium-3Low Temperature PhysicsQuantum Mechanics1970s
United States
Finland