Kelseyville >> At the turn of the 19th century most scientists thought that Newtonian physics explained pretty much everything in the physical world. Yet there were disturbing inconsistencies: the orbits of the planets didn’t exactly fit their predicted elliptical paths through the solar system and Rutherford’s model of the atom didn’t quite agree with experimental data if one looked very closely.
Prof. Albert Einstein turned the world of physics upside down in the early 1900s as details of his mathematical theories of physics became known. On the atomic scale Einstein’s quantum mechanics offered a novel explanation of atomic phenomena and on the macro scale, his theory of general relativity had startling implications for astronomy and cosmology. The mathematics was complex and many in the scientific community had doubts. But in 1919 Sir Arthur Eddington, an English physicist, undertook a bold experiment to test the theory of general relativity by attempting to observe the unexpected bending light in the strong gravitational field of the sun. The world waited in anxious anticipation of the result.
At Taylor Observatory this coming Saturday, Oct. 24 Lake County educator Tim Gill, the new Student Services Director at Kelseyville High School, describes this classic Eddington experiment in which he observed the positions of stars during a rare eclipse of the sun off the coast of Africa.
Would this stunning experiment prove Einstein right, or cast further doubt on these startling theories of physics? Join us to learn the answer.
The evening at Taylor begins with a planetarium show at 7:15 p.m. for early arrivers, followed by the lecture at 8 p.m. Telescope viewing on the Taylor’s 16-inch scope will begin after the talk, weather permitting. The moon is about half illuminated, providing excellent views of craters along the moon’s terminator. And we may just catch the first glimpses of the Orion Nebula in the southeaster sky.
Friends of Taylor Observatory-Norton Planetarium sponsors the program.
Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children 12 and under. Taylor is located at the end of Oak Hills Lane in Kelseyville. For further information phone 415 209-3084, consult the website www.taylorobservatory.org or visit the Friends of Taylor Facebook page.
