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Ole Rømer was a Danish astronomer from the 17th-18th centuries who made important contributions to understanding the cosmos during the early modern period of scientific discovery. His work helped advance astronomical knowledge when the field was undergoing major developments through improved observation and mathematical analysis.
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Person · Open Library
- Born
- 1644-09-25
- Died
- 1710-09-19
- Works
- 1
Top works
- Pneumococcus infections in animals
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Listeners · Last.fm
- Listeners
- 15
- Total plays
- 49
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Article
Ole Christensen Rømer ( Danish: [ˈoːlə ˈʁœˀmɐ]; 25 September 1644 – 19 September 1710) was a Danish astronomer who, in 1676, first demonstrated that light travels at a finite speed. Rømer also invented the modern thermometer showing the temperature between two fixed points, namely the points at which water boils and freezes.
Rømer made his discovery regarding the speed of light while working at the Royal Observatory in Paris and studying Jupiter's moon Io. He estimated that light takes about 11 minutes to travel from the Sun to Earth. Using today's knowledge of the Sun-Earth distance, this would amount to a speed of light of approximately 220,000 kilometers per second, compared to today's accepted value of just under 300,000 kilometers per second.
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1644 births1710 deaths17th-century Danish astronomers18th-century Danish astronomers18th-century Danish letter writers18th-century mayors of CopenhagenBurials at the Church of Our Lady, CopenhagenCreators of temperature scalesDanish police chiefsDanish scientific instrument makersGregorian calendarMembers of the French Academy of Sciences