The historical investigations and experiments that led to the determination of the speed of light: parte 2
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22481/rbba.v15i1.16766Keywords:
calculation of the speed of light, roemer data, Huygens, Io satellite, ephemerides of Jupiter's satellitesAbstract
In this second article we continue the historical journey started in part 1, the moment we are highlighting is the period of discovery itself, and we will not continue with the post-discovery period, which is characterized by the refinement of the value of the speed of light, which is today one of the most important constants of nature used in science. We saw that it was the Danish astronomer's calculations that led him to an estimate of the delay time for eclipses on Jupiter's satellite Io. Despite having this data in hand, it was Huygens who actually calculated the speed of light for the first time in history. We will also see how this discovery had an impact. We know that even though the finiteness of the speed of light is a statement based on facts, not all European scholars quickly accepted this result easily.
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