Arthur Eddington

28 December 1882 – 22 November 1944

Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington (1882-1944) was an English astrophysicist who pioneered the study of the internal structure of stars and established the mass-luminosity relation. He led the 1919 solar eclipse expedition whose observations of light bending provided the first major confirmation of Einstein's general theory of relativity.

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Life events

Born in Kendal, England
28 December 1882

Arthur Stanley Eddington was born into a Quaker family in Kendal, Westmorland.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Entered Trinity College, Cambridge
1902

After studying at Owens College in Manchester, Eddington went up to Trinity College, Cambridge, to read mathematics.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Placed as Senior Wrangler in the Cambridge Mathematical Tripos
1904

Eddington was the first student to be ranked Senior Wrangler in only his second year.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Appointed chief assistant at the Royal Greenwich Observatory
1906

Eddington began his professional astronomical career at Greenwich, working on stellar parallax and proper motions.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Became Plumian Professor of Astronomy at Cambridge
1913

Eddington was appointed to the Plumian chair and soon afterwards became director of the Cambridge Observatory.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Led the eclipse expedition to Principe that tested general relativity
29 May 1919

Eddington observed the total solar eclipse of 29 May 1919 from the island of Principe, measuring the deflection of starlight predicted by Einstein.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Eclipse results announced, confirming Einstein's theory
6 November 1919

The expedition results presented to the Royal Society and Royal Astronomical Society made Einstein and general relativity world famous.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Published The Internal Constitution of the Stars
1926

Eddington's landmark treatise laid the foundations of stellar structure theory and presented the mass-luminosity relation.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Knighted
1930

Eddington received a knighthood, and in 1938 he was further honoured with the Order of Merit.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Died in Cambridge, England
22 November 1944

Eddington died in Cambridge at the age of 61 following an operation for stomach cancer.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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