Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1889-12-06

What Science Learns With the Aid
of the SpeCtrOsCODe.

OF the SpeCtT oSCope.
The solar spectrum, as shown in the
rainbow or dewdrop, says the Analyst,
has always been familiar object to
mankind, but it is only within the last
quarter OF century that the marvel
Gus facts written in the rays OF light
from the sun and stars have been re-
veaied 10 us.
One OF lhe most useful applications
OF the spectroscope is TO the analysis
OF different substances. The chemist
would be unable To detect with his
reagents the presence OF small guam
titles of certain elements, but let him
bring the substance into the flame OF u
lamp and glance through his spectre
scope, md in a moment their presence
or absence is indisputaOly proved. A
ten-thousandth part OF a grain of
sodium can be easily detected by this
means, and simply clapping his hands
near the flame will give off enough OF
this Omnipresent element 10 cause its
characteristic yellow line to appear at
once i'm the spectroscope. We have by
this means proved the presence OF the
/ rare element lithium in the blood of Il
/ person who has been drinking IA miner
al water containing a trace of its salts.
! Not only does spectrum analysis
show us the presence Of familiar elc-
ments. bat som stimes lines are observ-
ed indicating the presence of those
! previously unknown.
But still more wonderful are the facts
made known TO us when we turn the
spectroscope toward the celestial bod
les. Every ray of light reaching US
from the sun bears message which,
with the aid of the spectroscope, we
can read as easily as we can read those
photographs which are only visible
through a microscope. The characters
OF many ancient inscriptions are still
undeci phered, but the story told by
the little dark lines crossing the spec
trum is perfectly familiar to us. al
though only few chapters OF il have
as yet been interpreted.
We know that iron, sodium, platinum,
and many other elements are present
in the sun in the shape of vapor, and il
has been we'll said that il the word
iron appeared on the disk of the sun
the proof OF its presence would be much
less perfect than is that furnished by
the lines II causes TO appear in the
solar spectrum. The spectrum Of fixed
stars, comets, nebulH, variable stars.
etc, all give Us an immense amount OF
information concerning them. We
may Judge OF the temperature OF the
stars and calculate the speed at which
they are moving toward or from
the earth. 1t tells us that comets are,
in part at least, gaseous bodies, and
distinguishes between those nebulB
which are simply distant clusters Of
separate stars and those which are
masses of glowing glass not yet cooled
down to the liquid or solid state.
The spectroscope shows the presence
Of more or less moisture in the upper
air, with the accompanying probability
OF rain or fair weather 1t shows the
presence of the constituents OF blood in
solution, besides many other organic
substances and, finally, the spectrum,
OF the light from certain rare metals
glowing in vacuum under the infiu-
ence of an electric current proves their
compound nature, although TO the
coarser chemical and physical tests
they appear as simple elements.