New Hampshire Astronomical SocietyMay 17th in Astronomy and Space Science
 | 1836 | British astronomer Joseph Lockyer born. He made some of the first observations of the sun using a prism to investigate the solar spectrum. In the spectrum he found "an element not found on Earth" which he named Helium, after Helios - Latin for Sun. Helium was finally found on Earth 27 years later. He was also one of the first to observe solar prominences, originated the name chromosphere for the visible surface of the sun, and founded the scientific journal Nature. |
 | 1969 | USSR Venera 6 spacecraft reaches Venus. It transmits data for 51 minutes while descending through the atmosphere. |
©2026 New Hampshire Astronomical Society • P.O. Box 5823 • Manchester, NH 03108-5823