The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1877-10-19

and the eve fails, and all is up with the
player. The drinking goes deeper and
the playing worse"
New Method in Solar Spec
trum Analysis.
No observation Of modern physical as
tronomy l. more striking in its cOncep-
ton than that which attempts to deter
mine the motion OF a celestial body by
the altered wave-lenght OF its light, and
none has attracted more general attention.
1t is popularity understood that the pro-
per motion of certain stars in the line of
sight has been thus completely demon
strated, but those particularly engaged in
such studies know how far astronomers
have, till very lately, been fiom the GER
tainty attributed TO them.
It can hardly. however be deemed
superhuous to still offer, upon so impOr-
tant QUESTION, the results of an indie
pendent methOd of measurement, and
one which renders errors from instru-
mental displacement, on the danger of
which so much stress has been desery-
edly laid in the sense in which the word
IS here used, not only unlikely, but I'M
possible.
The theory Of the proposed method Is
very simple. Let two spectra be formed
side by side, the one of light from one
edge of the sun, the other of light from
a point one hundred and eighty degrees
distant. The instrument being IN adjust
ment. if these points be in the neighbOr-
hood of the solar poles which are relative
~ at rest, all the lines will be continuous
in both spectra. But if the instrument
is rotated till the light comes from points
on the eastern and western sides of the
sun, which are in relative motion, not
on v viii the solar lines be discOntinuOu:
| in the two spectra; as though the one
| receiving light from the advancing OF
eastern side had been slid past its neigh.
| Dor toward the violet, but any nal
adjustments of the instrument. which
simulate this effect, can be with certainty
| detected by means 10 be shortly de
| scribed. The solar spectrum consists o.
| two distinct kinds of lines, one caused
| by absorption in the solar, the other by
/ absorption in the terrestrial atmosphere
| These latter being formed by light from
! all parts of the sun are independent OF il.
| rotation.
The prisns are adjusted, till on looking
| on the sun directly. the lines are all con
| tinuous in both spectra then the instru
ment is put in the telescope and the slit
/ placed at such a pOSition-augle that the
| light in spectrum a comes from the Vi
| entity of the north solar pole, that il
! spectrum b from the south n LOOKING
/ in, we see a very long and narrow spec
trum, filed with dark lines and exhibit
| ing the chromospheric lines on both sides
II is divided by what appears to be Z
/ very fine dust line, in two exactly cor
| responding parts. and Is, in reality
| two distinct spectra, as We see by tn,
! opposed ChrOmOsphere lines. but a.
! the sources of light for both spectra are
! relatively at rest, all the dark lines are
! still continuous. But now without dis
! turbing any adiustment) rsvolve the
| whole ninety degrees about the optica
| axis passing through the center of the
! solar image, 20 that spectrum \ Is formed
| by light from the eastern or advancing
! edge Of The sun; spectrum + by light from
| the western or retreating one. \ curioL.
/ change has taken,place. BY "a very min
| ute but percepJibie quantity. spectrum
/ \ appears TO have been slid past it.
neighbor, toward the violet end. 50 that
/ every solar line in the first Is " uOtChed
| at It's junction with the second while
at the same time. the telluric lines are a,
I
| ter web would be, by moving "a scale
about in the field. The effect Is the same
as though the spectra were tangible
things, like two engine-divided scales
whose numerous delicate divisions rep
| resented by the solar lines were all in
exact iuxtapOsition a moment before,
| and are all now Just perceptibly dis
placed, as when a vernier plate Is moved
till a coincidence Is made at new stroke
on the limb. - - %
Moving the instruma
more, we come again IN tITF 49,
the sun. and the coincidence shouIS -
tIrn with still 90 degrees more we are
again in thee quator, but now spectrum
4 is formed by the light from the western
edge. and this time it Is moved the other
way, rs it il were scale which has been
slid by very slight but distinctly per
ceptible amount toward the red end
while the telluric lines retain their con-
tinuity, assuring us that no mal-adiust-
ment has occurred.
1t viii be admitted that this change
is, if real, excellent experimental evil
dence that the wave length is virtually
different in light from the eastern and
western limbs, As theory predicts.
For, granting that the instrument Is
mal-ad lusted in any unknown way or
degree, any instrumental cause will
affect solar and telluric lines alike,
and we may in fact defy ingenuity to
suggest an error Of ad justment, which
will modify one and not the other.
1t will be rmembered that many
lines in the spectrum are only seen
when the sun is low. These are
clearly due to the absorption in our
atmosphere. Many thousands, as we
know, are due To absorption in the
suns atmosphere. There remains 8
large number of lines not coincident with
any we produce st the electrodes of oul
battery, and always present in the spec
trum. OF these we do know that they are
either caused by the suns atmosphere OF
ours, without always knowing which
| for these can only be inferred to the tel
| luric from their growing stronger IS the
sun sets, and this, though easily deter
mined in ths@ case of a single line. be
comes a task Of great labor where We
/ deal with thousands Ii is evident, how
| ever, that after having used known tellu
| rio lines to determine the fact the re
| Tranquility Of soler lines only Is altered
we can reverse the process, and classify
| unhesitatingly, hereafter, all lines as tel
| luric which are Unaffected by the change,
| that compel ethers 10 betray their solar
| origin. To merely sec these two spectra
| with clearness, then, l. to be enabled e
| pickou ne teliuric lines from the others
| rs they were mapped before us. They
| are mapped in fact, and 10 becomes, under
! the proper conditions, a matter of simple
inspection TO determine Decentralization