stars. Balmer's formula was later found to be a special case of the Rydberg formula, devised by Johannes Rydberg in 1888: with being the Rydberg constant for hydrogen, for Balmer's formula, and . A full explanation of why these formulas worked, however, had to wait until after Balmer's death with the presentation of the Bohr model of the atom by Niels Bohr in 1913. Johann Balmer died in Basel, aged 72. Honors Balmer formula and Balmer constant h are named after him, as well as Balmer lines and Balmer series. The Balmer jump is useful in Astronomy for stellar classification. The crater Balmer on the Moon is named after him. Minor planet 12755 Balmer is named after him. References External links 1825 births 1898 deaths 19th-century Swiss physicists 19th-century Swiss mathematicians Scientists from Basel-Stadt Spectroscopists People from Basel-Landschaft