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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.   

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]]. This wasn't a popular position at his time. When general conscription was introduced in 1916, Edddington entered his plea to claim exemption on grounds of conscience, but his university had requested the authorities not to withdraw him from his scientific researches. Eddington had declared:

<blockquote>"My objection to war is based on religious grounds. I cannot believe that God is calling me to go out to slaughter men, many of whom are animated by the same motives of patriotism and supposed religious duty that have sent my countrymen into the field. To assert that it is our religious duty to cast off the moral progress of centrutries and take part in the passions and barbarity of war is to contradict my whole conception of what the Christian religion means. Even if the abstention of conscientious objectors were to make the difference between victory and defeat, we cannot truly benefit the nation by wilful disobedience to the divine will."<ref>A. Vibert Douglas ''"The Life of Arthur Stanley Eddington"'', Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd, 1956, p. 93</ref></blockquote>

He was exempted until Aug 1, 1918, and the Astronomer Royal Sir Frank Dyson supported the idea of an expedition - lead by Eddignton - to observe the solar eclipse of 1919.<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 liked publicity and probably dreamed of winning a [[Nobel Prize]], and upon his return to England declared that his observations proven the theory of relativity.  That was good enough for reporters and historians, but the Nobel committee was not impressed and declined to give him an award.{{fact}}    '''''Recent analysis of Eddington’s work revealed that he was biased in selecting his data, and that overall his data was inconclusive about the theory of relativity'''''.<ref>[http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0102462 Peter Coles (University of Nottingham, UK): ''"Einstein, Eddington and the 1919 Eclipse"'']

Eddington liked publicity and probably dreamed of winning a [[Nobel Prize]], and upon his return to England declared that his observations proven the theory of relativity.  That was good enough for reporters and historians, but the Nobel committee was not impressed and declined to give him an award.{{fact}}    '''''Recent analysis of Eddington’s work revealed that he was biased in selecting his data, and that overall his data was inconclusive about the theory of relativity'''''.<ref>[http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0102462 Peter Coles (University of Nottingham, UK): ''"Einstein, Eddington and the 1919 Eclipse"'']