Contributions from the First Half-Century of African American Astronomers with a Focus on Solar Physics
Abstract
It has been exactly half a century since the first African American received a PhD degree and successfully entered into a career in astronomical research. Since that time, a total of twenty scientists have followed in the wake of this trailblazer. Exactly half of these chose to spend a major portion of their career in the fields of solar and stellar physics. The contributions of the solar physicists have had a profound impact on our understanding of the sun, stars, and their immediate environments. In this paper I will review the scientific contributions of these scientists and develop the historical and social context their work.
- Publication:
-
African Skies
- Pub Date:
- July 2007
- Bibcode:
- 2007AfrSk..11...42O