Rare! Antique 1930 US NOTS (China Lake) Copy! Internal Constitution of Stars HC

  
This rare and important text was owned by the R&D lab at the Naval Ordinance Test Station (China Lake) where cutting edge military weapons like Sidewinder and JDAM were developed and tested for the US Navy. In this book Arthur Eddington foreshadowed our modern understanding of stellar astrophysics and nuclear fusion. He theorized that the interior of stars are composed of hydrogen and helium, with the generation of stellar energy coming from the fusion of hydrogen into helium within the star's core. Eddington's theory would grow to influence a generation of physicists in nuclear physics and astrophysics.

Eddington proposed that stars generate energy through a process of nuclear fusion, where hydrogen atoms combine to form helium, releasing vast amounts of energy. His theory allowed for the calculation of temperature, density, and pressure at different points within a star, providing a detailed picture of stellar structure. Eddington highlighted the importance of radiation pressure in balancing the gravitational forces within a star, preventing collapse.