Story of Helium and the Birth of Astrophysics

Biman Nath studied physics at the University of Delhi, India and received his Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Maryland, College Park, in the United States. He is currently at the Raman Research Institute in Bangalore, India. His research focuses on the interaction of gas with galaxies and its implications for the evolution of galaxies and diffuse gas in the universe. He is also interested in the popularization of science and writing fiction.

From the reviews: "This book is a labor of love and a rather personal document, shedding light on a portion of physics and chemistry history that previously seems to have received too little careful analysis. ... Astronomer Nath ... has done some key detective work in mid-19th-century physics, starting with helium and expanding into the transformational perspective created by spectroscopy. ... a fine book that makes good reading and fills a gap in the literature. It belongs in all college libraries. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels." (K. L. Schick, Choice, Vol. 50 (11), July, 2013) "Biman Nath clearly loves helium, and you very probably will too after reading this book. ... I think typical ageing astronomers will enjoy the book ... ." (Virginia Trimble, The Observatory, Vol. 133 (1233), April, 2013)

• Chapter 1: The Unbearable Lightness of a 'Noble' Element.- Chapter 2: From Alchemy to Chemistry.- Chapter 3: From Chemistry to Stars.- Chapter 4: Father Secchi, the Priest Who Became an Astronomer.- Chapter 5: Jansse, A Traveling Scientist.- Chapter 6: Norman Lockyer, Clerk Turned Astronomer.- Chapter 7: James F. Tennant, Soldier Turned Astronomer.- Chapter 8: Guntur, the Small Town at the Center of Attention.- Chapter 9: The Perpetual Eclipse of 1868.- Chapter 10: Lockyer and His Cosmic Hieroglyphics.- Chapter 11: The Ghost Element That Refused To Be Identified.- Chapter 12: Helium on Earth.- Chapter 13: The Folklore and Reality of the Discovery of Helium.- Index.