The Sun Kings
The Unexpected Tragedy of Richard Carrington and the Tale of How Modern Astronomy Began
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- £18.99
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- £18.99
Publisher Description
In September of 1859, the entire Earth was engulfed in a gigantic cloud of seething gas, and a blood-red aurora erupted across the planet from the poles to the tropics. Around the world, telegraph systems crashed, machines burst into flames, and electric shocks rendered operators unconscious. Compasses and other sensitive instruments reeled as if struck by a massive magnetic fist. For the first time, people began to suspect that the Earth was not isolated from the rest of the universe. However, nobody knew what could have released such strange forces upon the Earth--nobody, that is, except the amateur English astronomer Richard Carrington.
In this riveting account, Stuart Clark tells for the first time the full story behind Carrington's observations of a mysterious explosion on the surface of the Sun and how his brilliant insight--that the Sun's magnetism directly influences the Earth--helped to usher in the modern era of astronomy. Clark vividly brings to life the scientists who roundly rejected the significance of Carrington's discovery of solar flares, as well as those who took up his struggle to prove the notion that the Earth could be touched by influences from space. Clark also reveals new details about the sordid scandal that destroyed Carrington's reputation and led him from the highest echelons of science to the very lowest reaches of love, villainy, and revenge.
The Sun Kings transports us back to Victorian England, into the very heart of the great nineteenth-century scientific controversy about the Sun's hidden influence over our planet.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this well-researched and very well-written book, Clark tells the embattled, little-known history of modern astronomy, a spry tale full of intrigue, jealousy, spite, dedication and perseverance. Peopled with a large, colorful cast, author and editor Clark (Journey to the Stars) delivers a tale rich in conflict and passion, beginning with William Herschel, an 18th century pioneer of telescope construction, who sets the status quo when he's ridiculed for discovering a relation between sunspot activity and grain harvests. In the 19th century, Clark covers a period of "deep crisis for British science," which saw the Astronomer Royal, George Biddell Airy, do all he could to suffocate solar research in England because he couldn't believe "in any link beyond mere sunlight between the Sun and Earth." Naturally, Airy couldn't stop progress, and solar observation continued through the 19th century under the direction of Greewich Observatory's Walter Maunder; in the 20th century, Clark describes the work of George Hale, instigator of the research that would eventually vindicate old Herschel by showing a profound correlation between sunspots and agricultural production; in the present, Clark considers the success and legacy of space-based observatories (SOHO and STEREO) and land-based radio telescopes. Though it might sound dry, Clark's parade of historical characters dramatize the narrative nicely, and Clark conveys the significance of their scientific observations with plenty of context and thorough references, making this a fascinating work for both casual stargazers and serious astronomy buffs.
