Tähtimigreforma

Tähtimigreforma, also known as the Star Reform, was a significant period of astronomical observation and theoretical development that occurred in the late 19th century. This era was characterized by a renewed focus on understanding the nature and distribution of stars beyond our immediate solar neighborhood. Advances in telescope technology, particularly the development of larger refractors and early reflectors, allowed astronomers to observe fainter celestial objects with unprecedented detail. Spectroscopic analysis also began to mature, enabling scientists to determine the chemical composition, temperature, and even radial velocity of stars for the first time.

Key figures during the Tähtimigreforma included astronomers like Edward Pickering, who established the Harvard College Observatory's photographic plate archive, and Henrietta Swan Leavitt, whose work on Cepheid variable stars would later prove crucial for determining cosmic distances. The reform also saw a shift from purely positional astronomy to astrophysical investigations. Scientists started to categorize stars based on their spectral properties, laying the groundwork for the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, which would emerge in the early 20th century. The Tähtimigreforma challenged existing ideas about the static and unchanging nature of the cosmos, opening the door to a more dynamic and vast universe. It laid the essential observational and theoretical foundations for modern astrophysics and cosmology.