Maunder , Edward Walter

Maunder , Edward Walter
(1851–1928) British astronomer
Maunder, who was born in London, took some courses at King's College there but did not obtain a degree. After working briefly in a bank he became photographic and spectroscopic assistant at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, in 1873. Maunder's appointment allowed Greenwich to branch out from purely positional work, for Maunder began a careful study of the Sun, mainly of sunspots and related phenomena. After 1891 he was assisted by Annie Russell, a Cambridge-trained mathematician, who must have been one of the first women to be so employed. She became his wife in 1895.
It had been known since 1843 that the intensity of sunspot activity went through an 11-year cycle. In 1893 Maunder, while checking the cycle in the past, came across the surprising fact that between 1645 and 1715 there was virtually no sunspot activity at all. For 32 years not a single sunspot was seen on the Sun and in the whole period fewer sunspots were observed than have occurred in an average year since. He wrote papers on his discovery in 1894 and 1922 but they aroused no interest.
More sophisticated techniques developed in recent years have established that Maunder was undoubtedly correct in the detection of the so-called Maunder minimum. Also, the realization that the period of the minimum corresponds to a prolonged cold spell suggests that Maunder's discovery is no mere statistical freak. It may throw light on the Sun's part in long-term climatic change and on possible variations in the processes within the Sun that produce the sunspots.

Scientists. . 2011.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Edward Walter Maunder — (April 12 1851 ndash; March 21 1928) was an English astronomer best remembered for his study of sunspots and the solar magnetic cycle that led to his identification of the period from 1645 to 1715 that is now known as the Maunder Minimum.Early… …   Wikipedia

  • Edward Walter Maunder — E. Walter Maunder (* 12. April 1851 in London; † 21. März 1928 ebendort) war ein englischer Astronom und Bibelforscher, der insbesondere durch seine Arbeiten zum Sonnenmagnetismus und dessen Einfluss auf die Erde bekannt wurde …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Edward Maunder — Edward Walter Maunder, né le 12 avril 1851 à Londres où il est mort le 21 mars 1928, est un astronome anglais, surtout connu pour son étude des taches solaires et du cycle magnétique solaire qui lui permit d identifier la période allant de 1645 à …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Edward Maunder — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Edward Maunder Edward Walter Maunder (12 de abril de 1851 21 de marzo de 1928) fue un astrónomo inglés que estudió las manchas solares y el ciclo magnético solar que le llevaron a …   Wikipedia Español

  • Maunder Minimum — Das Maundersche Minimum zwischen 1645 und 1715. Angabe der Häufigkeit als Sonnenflecken Relativzahl seit 1610 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Maunder (Mondkrater) — Eigenschaften Breitengrad 14,6° S Längengrad 93,8° W Durchmesser 55 km Tiefe unbekannt Selenografische Colongitude 94° bei Sonnenaufgang Benannt nach Annie Ma …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Edward Walter Maunder — …   Википедия

  • Edward Maunder — Edward Walter Maunder (12 de abril de 1851 21 de marzo de 1928) era un astrónomo inglés que estudió las manchas solares y el ciclo magnético solar que le llevaron a identificar un período sin manchas entre 1645 a 1715 conocido ahora como el… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Maunder — can mean To talk incoherently or aimlessly , or can refer to: People Edward Walter Maunder, English astronomer J. H. Maunder, English composer W. F. Maunder, statistician Events Maunder Minimum, period c. AD 1645–1715, when sunspots became… …   Wikipedia

  • Maunder — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Annie Maunder (1868–1947), britische Astronomin und Mathematikerin Edward Walter Maunder (1851–1928), englischer Astronom und Bibelforscher John Henry Maunder (1858–1920), englischer Organist und Komponist …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”