LEBEDEW, PETER. (PYOTR NICOLAYEVICH).

Ueber die abstossende Kraft strahlender Körper.

Leipzig, Johann Ambrosius Barth, 1892. Orig. printed wrappers, no backstrip. In: "Annalen der Physik und Chemie. Hrsg. von G. Wiedemann.", Neue Folge Bd. 45, No. 2. Pp. (193-) 384 a. 4 plates. Plates loose. (Entire issue offered with wrappers (Heft 2)). Lebedew's paper: pp. 292-297.

First printing of a famous paper in astrophysics. Lebedew argues, "that if a small-enough particle is placed near the sun, the attractive force of the sun's gravitation could be more than compensated for by the repulsive force from the light rays." (Partington "Breakthroughs", 1892 A).

"As early as 1891 Lebedev became seriously interested in the pressure of light. He turned his attention to the fact that since the force of gravity is proportional to the volume of a body whereas light pressure must be proportional to its surface, it may be asserted that in a particle of cosmic dust the forces of light pressure pushing the particle away from the sun will be equals to the force of gravity attracting it toward the sun. Lebedev used this theory to explain why comets’tails always point away from the sun."(DSB).

Order-nr.: 48175