Scientist of the Week
Scientist of the Week – Issue 60
This weeks scientist of the week is Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, who was the astronomer and astro-physicist that discovered that stars are made largely of the two lightest chemical...
Scientist of the Week – Issue 60
This weeks scientist of the week is Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, who was the astronomer and astro-physicist that discovered that stars are made largely of the two lightest chemical elements hydrogen and helium.
She made her discovery whilst still in graduate school and at first nobody believed her as scientists were convinced that the sun’s composition was similar to the earth’s.Whilst she published her findings she was encouraged to not claim it was true and to explain why her findings were wrong.
However, once her results were published in a book Stellar Atmospheres they became widely read and accepted and she is known as one of the most eminent astrophysicists of her time.
How many protons does a hydrogen atom contain?
This weeks scientist of the week was nominated by Harry Weitzman.
If you would like to nominate a scientist email felixj@busheymeads.org.uk
