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Charles Augustus Young
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Charles Augustus Young

American astronomer
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Quick Facts
Born:
Dec. 15, 1834, Hanover, N.H., U.S.
Died:
Jan. 3, 1908, Hanover
Subjects Of Study:
Sun
flash spectrum
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Charles Augustus Young (born Dec. 15, 1834, Hanover, N.H., U.S.—died Jan. 3, 1908, Hanover) was an American astronomer who made the first observations of the flash spectrum of the Sun, during the solar eclipses of 1869 and 1870.

He studied the Sun extensively, particularly with the spectroscope, and wrote several important books on astronomy, of which the best known was General Astronomy (1888). In 1879 he made accurate measurements of the diameter of Mars. He was professor of astronomy at Princeton University from 1877 to 1905.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.