Name: John Goodricke
Birthdate: 17
Sep 1764
Birthplace: Groningen,Netherlands
Today
is the anniversary of the birth, in Groningen, the Netherlands on 17
Sep 1764, of the astronomer John Goodricke. The Goodricke family moved
to England shortly afterwards, John having lost his hearing through a
fever when still an infant, and becoming dumb as a consequence.
However,
he overcame these difficulties, developing an interest in astronomy and
becoming a highly proficient observer and pioneering investigator of
variable stars. John had a particular fascination for
the eclipsing binary Algol (Beta Persei), a star often referred to as
the Demon Star. This strange appellation arises from the fact that Algol
represents the severed head of Medusa the Gorgon, slain by the
legendary Perseus and often represented as such on old star charts.
Introduced to the star by his neighbour and fellow-astronomer Edward
Pigott, Goodricke calculated Algol’s period of irregularity to be 2
days, 20 hours and 45 minutes, a period which is fairly close to the
modern value. He also put forward the theory that Algol was a binary
star with a darker companion, and that Algol’s variability was caused by
the periodic eclipse of the brighter component by the fainter star.
Goodricke is also credited with discovering the periodic variation of
Delta Cephei, the prototype of the class of variable stars known as
Cepheids. The minor planet 3116 Goodricke, discovered on 11 Feb 1983 by
American astronomer Edward L. G. ‘Ted’ Bowell, is named in his honour.
However,
he overcame these difficulties, developing an interest in astronomy and
becoming a highly proficient observer and pioneering investigator of
variable stars. John had a particular fascination for
the eclipsing binary Algol (Beta Persei), a star often referred to as
the Demon Star. This strange appellation arises from the fact that Algol
represents the severed head of Medusa the Gorgon, slain by the
legendary Perseus and often represented as such on old star charts. 
Comments
Post a Comment