This article concerns the scientist. For the unrelated string quartet, see Zoellner Quartet.
Johann Karl Friedrich Zöllner
Johann Karl Friedrich Zöllner (1834 – 1882) was a
German astrophysicist who studied
optical illusions.
[edit] Biography
He invented the
Zöllner illusion where lines that are parallel appear diagonal. The lunar
Zöllner crater is named in his honor. He also successfully proved
Christian Doppler's theory on the effect of motion of the color of stars, and the resulting
shift of absorption lines, via the invention of a very sensitive spectroscope which he named "Reversionspectroscope". He had shown also that the red-shift was in addition caused by variation in the stars' lights intensities with the help of his "Astrophotometer".
[1] He made the first measurment of the Sun's apparent magnitude. His result was very good, less than 0,1 from modern value.
[edit] Spiritualism
Zollner first became interested in
spiritualism in 1875 when he visited the scientist
William Crookes in England. Zollner wanted a physical scientific explanation for spiritualism and came to the conclusion that
physics of a
four-dimensional space may explain spiritualism. Zollner attempted to prove that spirits are four-dimensional and set up his own experiments with the medium
Henry Slade. These experiments were recorded by Zollner in a book titled
Transcendental Physics in 1878. According to Zollner the experiments were a success. Very few scientists however were convinced by Zollner's experiments. Critics have pointed out that the medium Henry Slade was a fraud who resorted to trickery and that he had cheated on the experiments.
[2][3]
Martin Beech in
The Physics of Invisibility: A Story of Light and Deception wrote:
| “ | Zollner presented his book as a physical investigation into the paranormal, including clairvoyance, matter transfer, ghosts and natural spirits. The main thrust of Zollner's argument was that all these kinds of mystic phenomena could be explained if ghosts (spirits of the dead) inhabited a "real external world" composed of four spatial dimensions. On this basis, he argued that what we see as ghosts are really just shadows projected into our three dimensional spatial realm.[4] | ” |
[edit] References
- ^ Anton Pannekoek A history of astronomy 1989, p. 385
- ^ Rudy von Bitter Rucker, Rudy Rucker The Fourth Dimension: A Guided Tour of the Higher Universes 1985, pp. 53-55
- ^ William Hodson Brock William Crookes (1832-1919) and the commercialization of science 2008, p. 174
- ^ Martin Beech The Physics of Invisibility: A Story of Light and Deception 2011, pp. 14-15
| Persondata |
|---|
| Name | Zollner, Johann Karl Friedrich |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | German astrophysicist |
| Date of birth | 1834 |
| Place of birth | |
| Date of death | 1882 |
| Place of death | |
Johann Karl Friedrich Zöllner
Johann Karl Friedrich Zöllner (1834 – 1882) was a German astrophysicist who studied optical illusions.
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