Finding the Speed of Light
Regular price
€18.99
More than two centuries before Einstein, using a crude telescope and a mechanical timepiece, Danish astronomer Ole Romer measured the speed of light with astounding accuracy. How was he able to do this when most scientists didn’t even believe that light traveled? Like many paradigm-shattering discoveries, Romer’s was accidental. Night after night he was timing the disappearance and reappearance of Jupiter’s moon Io behind the huge, distant planet. Eventually he realized that the discrepancies in his measurements could have only one explanation: Light had a speed, and it took longer to reach Earth when Earth was farther from Jupiter. All he needed then to calculate light’s speed was some fancy geometry.
MARK WESTON graduated from Brown University with a B.A. in History; studied for a year at the London School of Economics; and earned a law degree from the University of Texas. He has been a lawyer for ABC Television and a journalist for ABC News. In 1991, Mark won enough money on TV’s Jeopardy! to start a company that makes geographical jigsaw puzzles for children, which he sold after three years. His history books include Giants of Japan and Prophets and Princes: Saudi Arabia from Muhammad to the Present. His children’s books include Honda: The Boy Who Dreamed of Cars. Rebecca Evans worked for nine years as an artist and designer before returning to her first love: children’s book illustration and writing. Her books include Someday I’ll Fly; Friends in Fur Coats; The Shopkeeper’s Bear; Naughty Nana; Mei Ling in China; Finding the Speed of Light (starred review, Kirkus); and Alone Like Me (starred review, Kirkus). She lives in Maryland with her husband and four young children, teaches art at the Chesapeake Center for the Creative Arts, and works from her home studio whenever time permits. Rebecca’s boundless imagination enjoys free rein at www.rebeccaevans.net.