Physical binary stars
Estrellas binarias físicas y gravitación fuera del sistema solar
- Date
- 1803 · confidence high
- Place
- Slough, England
- Credited to
- William Herschel
- People
- 👤 William Herschel1738–1822
- Field
- Cosmos & Earth
What was discovered
Herschel demonstrated that some double stars orbit one another, proving that Newtonian gravitation holds beyond the solar system and opening the way to measuring stellar masses.
John Michell had argued statistically in 1767 that the doubles were physical.
What it led to
- Stellar masses
- Universality of gravity
- Astrophysics of binary systems