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[[Image:Eddington 2.jpg|right|thumb]]

[[Image:Eddington 2.jpg|right|thumb]]

Sir '''Arthur Eddington''' (1882–1944) was a [[British]] astronomer and physicist best known for venturing out on a boat off Africa in 1919 to observe the bending of starlight around the sun during a total [[eclipse]].  The [[theory of relativity|theory of general relativity]] of [[Albert Einstein]] predicts twice the bending of light around massive objects compared to [[Isaac Newton|Newton]]'s theory, and an eclipse is required to darken the sun so that the starlight may be seen in proximity to the sun.   

Sir '''Arthur Eddington''' (1882–1944) was a [[British]] astronomer and physicist perhaps best known for his expedition to [[Principe]] (an island situated 200 km or 150 mi off the coast of [[Gabon]]) in 1919 to observe the bending of starlight around the sun during a total [[eclipse]].  The [[theory of relativity|theory of general relativity]] of [[Albert Einstein]] predicts twice the bending of light around massive objects compared to [[Isaac Newton|Newton]]'s theory, and an eclipse is required to darken the sun so that the starlight may be seen in proximity to the sun.   

Eddington was a [[conscientious objector]] during [[World War I]]. He needed an important-sounding project to justify his avoidance of military service, and the eclipse expedition was perfect for him.<ref>From the ''New York Times'': "Eddington, a Quaker and conscientious objector, was concerned that wartime resentments were damaging the international scientific community. He leapt on Einstein’s relativity as a means of restoring harmony. As the historian Matthew Stanley has documented, Eddington’s superiors in London and Cambridge lobbied British government officials to let him devote his mandatory wartime service to preparing an astronomical expedition to test one of Einstein’s major predictions, that gravity could bend the path of starlight. By leading a British team to test the work of a German physicist, Eddington hoped to 'heal the wounds of war.'" [http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/08/opinion/how-politics-shaped-general-relativity.html?_r=0 David Kaiser, "How Politics Shaped General Relativity," NY Times (Nov. 6, 2015).]</ref>

Eddington was a [[conscientious objector]] during [[World War I]]. He needed an important-sounding project to justify his avoidance of military service, and the eclipse expedition was perfect for him.<ref>From the ''New York Times'': "Eddington, a Quaker and conscientious objector, was concerned that wartime resentments were damaging the international scientific community. He leapt on Einstein’s relativity as a means of restoring harmony. As the historian Matthew Stanley has documented, Eddington’s superiors in London and Cambridge lobbied British government officials to let him devote his mandatory wartime service to preparing an astronomical expedition to test one of Einstein’s major predictions, that gravity could bend the path of starlight. By leading a British team to test the work of a German physicist, Eddington hoped to 'heal the wounds of war.'" [http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/08/opinion/how-politics-shaped-general-relativity.html?_r=0 David Kaiser, "How Politics Shaped General Relativity," NY Times (Nov. 6, 2015).]</ref>