The Origin and Diffusion of the H and K Notation
Abstract
Though many or most astronomers and astronomy students may think that H and K, as in the Ca II "H and K lines," were named by Fraunhofer, actually only the H line was in Fraunhofer's original notation. He also used "I" to indicate the end of the spectrum in his widely reproduced 1814 drawing, published in 1817. We have searched references from 19th-century books and journals to find the first use of "K" to indicate the ionized-calcium spectral line at 383.3 nm and located the probable first use and eventually the reuse of the notation.
- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #215
- Pub Date:
- January 2010
- Bibcode:
- 2010AAS...21530403P