The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-13

" -ritfen for the Sunday Standard
London. Nov. "A new pathway
20 knowledge concerning the celestial
bodies has been opened by the estab-
llshment at Greenwich observatory OF
the workshop OF astronomical phys
1cs, that astronomy which deals with
The constitution and condition of the
heavenly bodies, not-with their move
nsents. 1T f. dificult to imagine "a
more Interesting study than that
which goes on in this unique work
shop. Think OF investigating the ele-
ments OF which stars millions of
miles away are composed. n deciding
the nature of the solar atmosphere in
n little corner Of his Insignificant
earth OF ours
The years that followed the applica-
sicn OF the spectroscope to h study
of the sun. and the demonstration that
sodium and iron existed in the solar
atmosphere, were crowded with a sue
cession of brilliant discoveries In the
same field. kirchof. Bunsen, Ang-
atrom, Thalen, added elements after
element Z the list OF those recognized
,n the sun. Higgins and Miller car
rIed the same research into a far more
dificult field. and showed us the same
elements I'm h stars. Rutherford
and secchi grouped the stars accord,
ing TO the types OF their spectra, and
so laid the foundations of what may
be termed stellar. comparative anat-
orny. Higgins discovered true gas
eous nebulae, and 80 revived the neb-
uIar theory, which had been supposed
crushed when the great telescope of
Lord Rose appeared to have resolved
several portions OF the Orion nebuia
into separate stars.
The great riddle of "new stars
which stIl remains a riddle-wss at
last attacked. and glowing hydrogen
was seen to be a feature in their con-
stitution. Glowing hydrogen, again.
was, in the observation of total eclips-
es. seen to be a principal constituent
OF those surroundings OF u own sun,
which we nov call prominences and
chromosphere. Then the method was
discovered OF observing the prominence
es without an eclipse. and they were
found to wax and wane with more
or less sympathy with the solar spots.
Sun spots. planets, comets. meteors,
variable stars. all were studied with
the new instrument. and all yielded
to IL fresh and valuable. and often
unexpected. information.
In this activity Greenwich observa-
tory practically o no part, until In
Sir william Higgins skillful hands
the spectroscope showed itself not
only as a means for determining the
condition and constitution of the stars.
but also their movements.
The principle of this inquiry Is as
follows: IL a source OF light Is APP
preaching us very rapidly. then the
waves OF light coming from IT nee
essarily appear a little shorter than
they really are. or. in other words.
that light appears TO be slightly more
blue-the ! waves being shorter
than the red-than IL really is. A
similar thing with regard TO the waves
of sound is often noticed In connection
with a railway train. II an express
train. the whistle of which il blowing
the whole time. dashes past US at full
speed, there is n perceptible drop I'm
the note OF the whistle after Il has
gone by. The sound waves as IL was
coming were a little shortened. and
the whistle therefore appeared to have
q sharper note than IL had in reality.
And In the same way. when IL had
gone by, the sound waves were a little
heightened. making the note OF the
whistle appeal a very little fiatter.
Such a change OF color in a star