| OCR Text |
Show Watch That Eclipse! Like a gigantic prairie fir the flame, leaping from the sun, seem to run along the ailhouette of the moon. During an iedipaa these banner of heat go streaming stream-ing by. sometime with the rhythmic regularity reg-ularity of heart beat, and again with weird abandon of whirling dervishes of the sky Eclipse This Month of I lntr:fff' Old Sol to Be the ' J - JEsJvL . Eclipse This Month of Old Sol to Be the Occasion of Special Scientific Research in Study of Great Flames : ..-.'..--. That Leap From Fiery . Watch That Eclipse! I t. " Like a gigantic prairie fire the flamea, y leaping from the sun, seem to run along the silhouette of the moon. During an ' , ' - ' " , i eclipse these banners of heat go stream- - " ing by. sometimes with the rhythmic reg -, ' . ., ' , . -. ' . ' ! ,' ularity of heart beats, and again with' , . '. ' " ' , i:,'v . V' weird abandon of whirling dervishes of j J - . ' . , ". - ,- . j .'' ' the sky , . " t ; -i '" ;' V ' - . j, .;; . .i . ' : r ' V mm nip, . " ' . I" 1 " 1 p '. ' 7 - Eclipse This Month of I I nfeffr' Old Sol to Be the , j- r- ... Occasion of Special ' V " v .o. n '---.'. . , XI it is small compared with BetslguMS '" ' ' If ' '"' '' '"' - v name, meaning "giant's shoulder," be- Scientific Research m - i . Vv ' 'ttZttZSSZ . ' " ) V, . . of aitronomy, . And even Betelguese U Study of Great Flames ; v; -. s, ;srs;!a ; . - . " . - - Chicago, assign to Antares a diameter .That Leap From Fieiy S2Zttii .''.;,'.. II : - - , .'.'v'-'- ; ' omy Tnott recent achievement As yst v " fril ' 1' I 1 II ' 'v only tha diameters of a few stars hare Orb Thousands - w , butth.workuwng " ( " VI V - '--' continued. When ons realiies that, ' ." . .11 . - .-' ,! J J even to the most powerful telescope, the nf MllpQ TTifrTl A camera for largest sUr. such, for lmUnce as Be- Ul lYlllCS XXl&ll p , - , A ' . x telgue-B or Antsres, appears only ss ... . : t -. - " , photographing. ;.' ) needle of nght, without any appearance , . eclipses is X." of a disk, it seems amaxing that sucn fAT THE eomtag eclipse ef the sub entirely. v X ... II measurements can be mads. . ens week from tomorrow, when ths . ."."""s different from . .,, v;v Ths giant sUrs ars balls of burning moon's shadow win traTsrse a path 150 , , , j. ' ' ' ' gas of low density, which, in a way, is miles wide In Southern California, ear- . f. : .-,- irto oramary " Vy ---r '- '-.-hy they are se enormous. They ars tain ebssiTstions nerer before attempted j . ; "Tv instrument , vV '4 '' bright red in color. In the eurss of will be mad. Ths radiation from ' T 5 . A' beam of i : sres, according to ths theory now held, ths solar corona will be measured, I , light is led ' V i . v ' they shrink, and heat thereby produced . , and ths light emitted by the great I. .' ,1 I I ti,',, -v " V! ' . causes their temperaturs to rise, thai flames lesping up'from the edge of the I- '. J. j I i . . . ' .) i O.'. . color changing to white and. later on, ' kidden sun around the black lunar disk I '.' ' '"' 'OBet. . n to blue. Eventually they turn yellowish, will be analysed, to find out what gssea ' I ' ' cast on An instrument to measure the heat thrown off by . and. finally to a deep red, having by that ompossthem. j ....' I V ' ' reflector and the aun. the-"thermopile,". Is the invention of W. ttan arrhrsd J. W orb. Mom'inJwtout'v ' - ; then footed. V W. Coblentz. of the Bureau o'f Standard. It U a, rHatmg heated light eloud of voleanle ash-dust thrown out by .j .ontheeamem if "inarvelously delicate that it will register the heat 'TJR sun U stlH a fsirly bot llttlo star, theeun. It is never visible save during lenso , thrown off by distant star ' Jwiih a temperature estimated at about total eclipse, when its filmy, lace-like 10300 degrees Fahrenheit but therearo streamers, stretching millions of miles ' esussd by ths shutting off of the sun. handle and tte star on ths edge of ths others thst run up to "rr awsy from ths solar luminary, emit a . . 0na my perhaps get a glimpse of the lip are bound southesit; ths remaining that high, Btrlu. is so n . ghostly and beautiful radiance. .Dipper, most fsmilisr of aU ths eon- fire southwest Thus, with Us hsndle were as near w ".V" V.T" This radiance, of eourss, is a reflection steUations, which, ft is said, "skims the bending, its bottom-dropping out nd Its In"- .1.M the ! f the sun's rmA- To measure it the . eresm from tha Milky Way.- ut what sides spresding. ths dear old Dipper will d' "f? oKIeed to wear go- . rays emitted by ths corona will be col- ' ' j, ths Dipper? An that most folks can soon be ready for the scrspbesp. i Z!h .. ,Urtric welder, um. te loeted by a eoneava mirror three feet in . .taU you about it is thst it U composed Sirius, ths Dog Star, is brightest of afl J" " .eainst ths blinding dUmeter and focused upon a very dell- of seven very bright stars, two of ths suns in ths northern heavens, and . Protect our eyes cate "thermopile" an instrument acting ; which are so plseed as to form a pointer sne of our nearest nelchbore, being less in, K-llnse. vou were en the principle that a difference ef tern. . . v directed ,t Poltrta. They make tt easy than twice aa far awsy as Alpha Cen- "',?"? X dark eUe of themoon, " perature at the Junction of two metal I ( , . 1 , . - v to find the Pole Star. - , . 4 , tauri. A ray of light' traveling 18,000 J rri7d toward ths esrth. yon mads up. intt closed wire eircuit, pre. . . . . . . : As a matter of fact the seven stars : mOes second, takes not quits right and u inconvenienced not merely by duces aa eleetrie current Our speck-o(-dust world is f X . of Dipper of . u .j, M from fiinus. nndinc -oif ta , vacuum, the lunar . The apparatus is ths invention ef Dr. , not large enough to even ... , . bemf double. They are huge suns, which is a sunMn ths heyday of its mb hmring no .tmosphers, but also by W. W. Coblents, of ths Bureau of Stand- : show on the chart giving the V I V robably hundreds of times bigger thsn life, tremendously brilliant and eorre- Joconceivble cold, approximating the ob- . ards, who, working at the Lkk Observa- ' relative aUes of various fixed ' ours, and aU of them are brilliantly white spondingly hot" eolute sero of space, which U no temper- tory in California, has used it to measure . ' ; ,' , ,nd very hot, savs the-one at ths edge What has Sirius to do with ths Dip- ature at all. On the other hand, if yon - the heat of distant stars. So marvelous 'T ' I 0f ths Hp of ths recepUcle, which seems 'pert Why Juit this. Our solsr system w(r 0n the bright side, toward the sun, I o its delicacy that if the experiment fclent's InAtnimftne Iiba rfBMvwTwd a Mm. y l '" X 1 to be elder and mora or less decrepit like is between Sirius and the Dipper. nnd tj,, heat almost unbesr- eoald be msd. in th. vo d of .pa, " ' t . - l etr own solar luminary. When w. know thst it glre, u. .00 177 degree, F.hre.h.it so- i which U a vacuum, it would detect the t!Tks A - " I Astronomers say that the Dipper is sen- of location in th. immensity of eding to Dr. Coblents. - heat of candle at distsnee of fifty- """T . , L' . v- I alowly going to pieces. Five of its stars space. But of course, we cannot feel very e has, with the help of his wonderful three miles. rPHE shadow of the moon, on the oeea- . .. I , f are traveling in one direction, and two satisfactorily "put" taking into eon-' instrument measured ths radiation Dr. Coblents aayst "If you should A aion of ths eclipse, wUl pass across the .. V f ia another. The sUr at the end of the aideration the fact that our sun, carrying from the bright side, of ths moon, when 1 " take a teaepeonfol of water and focus summit of Mount Wilson, where, near ( I ", - . as trt'h it is traveling through space st thst orb is full, snd slso thst of the upon it sli the heat coming from a blue Psiadena, ia located the famous obser- . -. ' . . ' '"" . , a rata of twelve miles a second, appar- various planets. If a planet ba hot as is . Orb Thousands of Miles High - : .... . .1 . . . ' A camera for photographing -. eclipses is ' entirely . ' V different from . - the ordinary instrument A ' beam of light is led through a cone ' 100 feet long. . ' cast on a reflector and then focused 1 on the camera -lense Aa instrument to measure the heat thrown off by . the sun, the-"thermopile," is, the invention of W. W. Coblentz, of the Bureau of Standards. It is so 'marvaloualy delicate that it will register tha heat , ; thrown off by a distant star ' - fA THE coming eclipse ef ths sua XV ens week from tomorrow, when ths moon's shadow will traverse a path 150 . ' miles wide in Southern California, cer tain ebservstions never before attempted t will be roads. . The radiation from the solar corona will ba measured, . and tha light emitted by the great flames leaping up'from tha edge of the ' kidden sun around the black lunar disk " win be analysed, to find out what gases eomposs them. The corona so long it punle to astronomers Is now known to be a vast eloud of voleanle ash-dust thrown out by the sun. It is never visible save during a total eclipse, when its filmy, lace-like streamers, stretching millions of miles awsy from ths solsr luminary, emit a ghostly and beautiful radiance. ' This radiance, of course, is a reflection ef the sun's rays. To measure it the v rays emitted by ths corona will be eol-N eol-N letted by a eoneave mirror three feet ia diameter and focused upon a very dell-' dell-' cate "thermopile" an instrument acting an the principle that a difference ef tern- -perstura at the Junction of two metals, made op. into a closed wire eircuit, pre duces aa eleetrie currant ' , The apparatus is the invention ef Dr. . W. W. Coblents, of ths Bureau of Stand- : ; ards, who, working st the Lkk Observatory Observa-tory In California, has used it to measure the heat of distant stars. So marvelous Is Its delicacy that If the experiment , you, 21,000,000 miles, in diameter. . Yet it is small compared with Betelguese a name, meaning "giant's shoulder," bestowed be-stowed upon it by ths sneient Arabians, . who, by the way, hsd no small knowledge . I of astronomy, . And even Betelguese la by no means the biggest of the stars. Re-. Re-. cent measurements made by Prof. Al-bert Al-bert A. Michelson, of fhs University of ' Chicago, assign to Antsree a diameter ' of 400,000,000 miles ! Measurement of the stsrs is astro n-' n-' omys most recent achievement As yst only ths dlsmeters of a few stars have been determined, but the work is being continued. . When one realises that . even to the moat powerful telescope, the largest etar, such, for Instance aa Betelguese Be-telguese or Antares, appears only as a needle of light without any appearance of a disk, it seems amaxing that such measurements can be made. The giant stsrs are' balls of burning gaa of low density, which, in a way, is .'-why they are so enormous. They are bright red in color. In the course of sges, according to tha theory now held, they shrink, and heat thereby produced causes their temperature to rise, , thai color changing to white and, later on, to blue. Eventually they turn yellowish, and-finally to a deep red, having by that time arrived at their last stage aa orb. radiating heat and light OUR sun Is stin a fsirly bot Uttlo star, with a temperature estimated at about 10300 degrees Fahrenheit but there are others thst run up to three or four time, that high 8iriua Is so hot thst if we were as near to h as we are to our solar luminary, we would be Quickly scorched to desth. Even If we could endure the hest we would be obliged to wear goggles, gog-gles, such as electric welders use, ta protect our eyes against ths blinding glsre. If, during the coming eclipse, you wera -t standing on the dark aids of ths moon, the aide turned toward tha earth, yoa would be inconvenienced not merely by. finding yourself In a vacuum, the lunar orb having no atmosphere, but also by inconceivsbls cold, approximating the absolute ab-solute sero of space, which ia no temperature temper-ature at all. On the other hand, if yon - ' were on the bright side, toward the sun, I you would find ths heat almost unbear- able about 177 degrees Fshrsnhsit ao- cording to Dr. Coblents. ' He has, with the help of his wonderful instrument measured ths radiation from tha bright aide-of tha moon, when that orb ia full, and also thst of the various planets. If a planet ba hot se is the ease with Jupiter, it msy be expected to radiate heat If it ba cold, like Mara, it nevertheless receives hest from tha . sun and radiates it off again. As a matter of fact Jupiter, though known to be very hot I found not to radiate any heat at all, because all of it la "trapped" in .tha lower levela of its deep and very dense etmosphere. Venus, with an atmosphere less deep and dense, . rsdistes L little. Mars radiates six times as much as Venc. and the moon more than twice aa much as Mars. This planet In which wa are se much interested, has a very thin atmosphere, only one-twelfth as Jensa as ours. Hence . a housewife on that orb could boil water in her saucepan or kettle at elghty-twe and one-half degraaa. Although Mars ia half again aa far away from the sua aa . . we are, ita surface ia considerably ' warmed by the solar rays.' Owing to-the to-the water vapor in our atmosphere, only sixty per cent of the solar raya that reach ua are effective ta warming tha earth, whereas ninety-nine par cant are effective for warming Mara. At night '1 the Martian temperature falls below . ' . freezing, but at midday it rises te sixty . er seventy deere ' ..'.. caused by the shutting off of the sun. One may perhaps get a' glimpse of the '. Dipper, most fsmilisr of all the constellations, con-stellations, which, it is asid. "skims the cream from the Milky Way." But what ia the Dipper? An that moat folks can .tall you about it is thst it Is composed of seven very bright stars, two of which are so plseed aa to form a pointer directed at Polaris. They make te easy to find the Pole Star. v '4, As a matter of fact the seven stars of the Dipper are- eight one of them being a double. They are huge suns, probably hundreds of times bigger thsn ours, and all of them are brilliantly white and very hot, savs the- one at the edge of the lip of the receptacle, which aeema to be elder and more or leas decrepit like ear own solar luminary. - r Astronomers aay that the Dipper is alowly going to pieces. Five of ita stars ar( traveling la one direction, and two . ia another. The star at the end of the .. . -....-. ';:.-. ' Our speck-of-dust world ia . not large enough to even- . show on the chart giving the V . relative aUea ovarious fixed , stare. . - - ' handle and tfe star on the edge of the lip ere bound southeast; the remaining five southwest Thus, with its hsndle bending, its bottom-dropping out nd Its sides spresding, the dear old Dipper will soon bs ready for the scrapheap. Sirius, tha Dog Star, ia brightest of aU tha suns In the northern heavens, and ena of our nearest neighbors, being less than twice as far away as Alpha Can-tauri. Can-tauri. A ray of light' traveling 188,000 : mOes a second, takes not quite eight snd a half years to - reach us from Sinus, which is a sunMn tha heyday of ita life, tremendously brilliant and corre-apondlngly corre-apondlngly hot" What has Sirius to do with ths Dlp- - pert Why juit this. Our solsr system is between Sirius and the Dipper. ' When we know that It gives us some sense of location in the immensity of Space. But of course, we cannot feel very eatiafaetorily "put" taking into eon- aideration the fact that our aun, carrying us v-f'h it Is traveling through space at a rate of twelve milea a second, apparently appar-ently in a straight Una; that Sirius and the Dipper stars are moving aa fast or f ajter, and that all tha heavenly bodies 'are likewise trying to get somewhere else at Inconceivable speeds. " - Thus at the end of the present een-' een-' tury the configuratioa of tha heavens - will not be quite the same aa it waa at the beginning, though the stars are ao far away that there ia, from our viewpoint view-point not much change in that length ef time. A vast majority of them, say the ; astronomers, are ao distant that it takes ' light thousands of years te come from .them to ua. XJJZ ARE interested In the coming VY eclipse because our aun la of muck ' more Importance to ua than all the billion ' others In tha universe. But our sun la' a dwarf star, a wretchedly little one, compared with millions of others. Its diameter ia 865,000 miles, whereas that .' of Betelgneee, according to recently revised re-vised ngurea, ia about 215,000,000 miles. Once upon a time our aun waa young ' and big, but now it ia aged and shrunken. A rather near neighbor of ours ia Are-turua, Are-turua, only thirty-four "light yean" distant. dis-tant. There ia a worth-while- sua for . ' " s - - 1 - . - 1 . - 1 blents instrument has discovered a num- ' ber of dark stars, pTseuraably 'daad euaa, which hitherto were unknown. .. 1 -v. . rpHE shadow of the moon, on the coca- . , A aion of ths eclipse, will pass acroaa the .. summit of Mount Wilson, where, near Pasadena, la located the famous obser- . vatory. There a study will be made of the enormous flamea that shoot out from tha rim of the aun's disk to heights some- ' -times exceeding 400,000 miles. Nothing : else can give ao vivid an idea of tha tre- ' mendousness of the sun's activity. The aun'i "atmosphere," so to call it " seems to be composed mainly of burning . hydrogen. But it ia thought that some- ' thing more definite can be ascertained by analysing the light emitted by the great flames above mentioned, and for . this purpose, whea the eclipse arrives, use is to bs made of a "solar tower" on ' top of Mount Wilson, which Is a skele- 1 ton structure, ISO feat high, surmounted by a revolving dome, A beam of light, admitted through aa aperture in tha dome, wherein the observer site, paaaes . down through a vertical tube th the base of the tower, where It la resolved into a , "rainbow" by a powerful spectroscope. The observer, by studying thia rainbow, . ia abis to discover what elements -t yd rogen. calcium or what not produce, by their burning, the light-beam.' TT-. 6FEM8 very curious during aa eel 1 pee to see many stars twinkling ia , Uueky, owing te the temporary darkneas could be made ia the void of space, ' which ia a vacuum, it would detect the . beat of a candle at a distance of fifty-three fifty-three milea. Dr. Coblents aayst "If you should , " take a teaepeonfol of water and focus upon it aU tha heat coming from a blue star" meaning one of the hottest of . tha billion suns that bespangle the heav enly vault 'and could conserve all the heat delivered, it would take a million years to raise the temperature ef the water one degree." The star, yoa see,' la ao far away. Nevertheless, the instrument in-strument can measure Its heat ' By means of this Instrument Dr. Co-' blents hss been able to detect the dark companions of many "binary," or double, stars. Elrius, otherwise celled the Dog Star, a sua thirty times as bright as ours, ' has such a companion, the two revolving about a common center of gravity. But the companion, about three-fourtha the . else of ear aun, ia almost invisible, ha v-, v-, lng only one eleven-thousand. of the brilliancy of Sirius, Astronomers believe thst at least one-fourth one-fourth ef all the stars are double or multiple. The North Star, Polaria, is probably triple. - Alpha Centauri. our nearest celestial neighbor, only twenty-five twenty-five million million of milea away is really a pair of bright suns, each of them about tha aise of our own orb of day. That it la's double caa ba seen with the help ef a good field-glass, But tha Ctf- 1 , The "thermopile is placed in the ' mouth of a telescope which . ie focused on ... the heavenly , ' body whose . , heat the. . - astronomer -vwiahea to learn Ihe corona of the aun during an eclipse ia beautiful and awe inspiring, and from it many . , of the elementa entering into the aun'. compoai-. , . tion were determined " . "! tsaa. as rasas lisjir r an , :. |
