Physics: Biographies

A Dictionary of Astronomy The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Further reading

Arago, François

A Dictionary of Astronomy | 1997 | Copyright

Arago, François( Dominique Arago Jean Arago) (1786–1853)Frenchscientist and statesman. With the French physicist Augustin Jean Fresnel (1788–1827), he established the wave theory of light and studied its polarization. In 1811 he invented the polariscope for measuring the degree of polarization of light. This instrument allows light from solid and fluid surfaces to be distinguished, and Arago used it in several astronomical studies. One was an extensive study of the total solar eclipse of 1842, in which he determined that the Sun's limb is gaseous, and examined polarized light from the chromosphere and corona.

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Dominique François Arago

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

Dominique François Arago , 1786–1853, French physicist and astronomer. He is noted for his discoveries in magnetism and optics as well as for his astronomical observations. Arago was an ardent supporter of the wave theory of light. In 1811 he invented the polariscope and later developed a polarimeter. His collected works (1854–62) include his well-known Astronomie populaire (4 vol.).

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"Dominique François Arago." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Dominique François Arago." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Arago-Do.html

"Dominique François Arago." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Arago-Do.html

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