Astrophysics in a Nutshell: From the Telescope to the Sputnik

摘要

Progress in astrophysics due to the introduction of new methods of observation is reviewed. The Copernican revolution was more due to the introduction of the telescope than to the heliocentric model invented 2000 yr earlier. The decisive importance of electromagnetic effects in astrophysics originated from Langmuir's invention of the plasma probe and from Birkeland's terrella experiment and his observations of plasma in space (aurora). A similar revolution was introduced by space research which made possible in situ measurements in cosmic plasmas and opened the X-ray and gamma ray regions to observation. The result is a drastic revision of essential parts of astrophysics (including cosmology) leading to the plasma Universe model.