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Show FULLYJXPUJNED Naval Observer Gives Reason Rea-son for Strange Fluctuations Fluctua-tions of Lunar Body. ST. LOUIS, Sept. 22. The cause of the fluctuation in the motion of the moon in its orbit, which long has been a puzzle to astronomers, has been discovered dis-covered by Professor T. J. J. See, director di-rector of the naval observatory at Mare j island, California, according to a statement state-ment whudt he gave out today. Professor Profes-sor See has been here visiting his j mother in Montgomery City, Mo. He has made many Important astronomical discoveries, a particular series being those by which he upset the old nebular nebu-lar hypothesis in 1909. Professor See states that the electro-dynamic electro-dynamic waves of the sun, which, he announced two years ago, are the force j of gravitation in the solar system, are , modified as to the moon because the force is exerted through the mass of , the earth. This interposition of the ; f?arth between the sun and moon causes the electrodynamic waves of the sun to j undergo circular refraction, dispersion j and absorption. This, said Professor , See, weakens the action of the sun on i the moon when that satellite is near I the shadow of the earth, as at the time i of Lunar eclipses. ! This weakening of the gravitational j force of the smi on the moon, he stated, , causes the fluctuations in the moon's revolution in its orbit. i ''For fifty years," said the professor, profes-sor, "the motion of the moon has defied calculations and astronomers have been greatly puzzled by the departure of the inoon from its predicted place. In 1S78 Simon Xewcomb finished an elaborate investigation showing that the moon's motion is irregular, and from that day to this the irregularities of the moon have defied all astronomers and mathematicians." Professor See's announcement states that the irregularities in the moon 's motion mo-tion may be calculated and that thereby the accuracy of the predicted places in its orbit may be increased twelvefold. He regards his discovery as corroborative corroborat-ive of his theory of the cause of gravitation. gravi-tation. He has sent a report to the Royal Astronomical society, London, , and to scientific bodies in Paris, Stockholm Stock-holm and Edinburg. |