The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-04-20
The Becquerel Rays.

A new technical Journal. Kirchhot's TechniScic
| Blattcr, to he issued within few days, will
| contain an interesting article concerning the
| latest rays.
In 1885, a French chemist discovered rays cna'
| mating from the element uranium, which pos
sessed propertics similar to the Roen,gen rays.
| They were called Bccquercl rays. after their dis
| covcrcr But while the discovery OF the Roent.
gen aroused great interest in the whole civilized
| world, leading to radical changes in medical
| diagnosis the Bccuuerel rays were only employed
| in very limited way in physical Laboratories,
and an assertion by the French scientist, Demar'
Gays, that they were not emitted from uranium,
but from a new element, made no impression.
Recent experiments by the Berlin High School
of Technology have proven this assertion--that
new element is responsible for the Becqucrel
rays--and the interesting fact has been OBJ
served that these rays render almost every trans
parent substance luminous in the darkness.
These rays make it possible TO tell GEM.
inc diamonds from artificial ones in the
dark. This will prove OF great prlo.
teal importance in testing The .S.
periments have also resulted in obtaining, for
the first time. larger quantities OF the new
element, which has demonstrated that rays
Grnanating from larger quantity make the air
such conductor OF electricity that it is hoped
this property can be utilized in wireless elcgrl.
ply. Experiments for this purpose are being
made in the Berlin institution but the deepest
secrecy is maintained concerning Them IL is
stated that the results wih be laid before
the emperor which seems to indicate that the
discovery is regarded Us one OF great import anre,
The zodiacal Light.
The Zodiacal light, 80 called because ii
trlvcrSes tile Zodiac, is phenomenon OF the
heavens that probably very few people have
witnessed, As even sea captains, who have sailed
around the earth nulnper of times, state
that they have never seen it, still its existence
il well authenticated fact. Quiet recently NJ
Leon Brenner has been studying the light
from the observatory oI Mlnora, Austria, where,
judging from his account, the opportunities
ior observing IL must he exceptionally fine. lie
states that at Iussin, on the seal level, where
the most favorable periods for observation are
IRON January to March and in september and
October, the zodiacal light is upon favorable
nights, from four 10 sin times as bright as the
milky way, and upon such occasions some eight
OF ten times IS intense. lie describes it a. =
rlramd OF light with It's base at The place
where the sun has set and its point crossing
tho zodiac, The apex, he says il scarcely dis.
oernible at tnst. but increases in intensity
later and gives rise At point opposite to a
second cone OF light which is called the anti
zodiac. This popularity was noted by BIUsSen
in 1854 and by Humbolt in 1905. As seen from
Lussn, NJ. BrIrnner says its brightness is often
suon thar up to Iorty degrees in height it
entirely obscurcs, TO the naked eye, the stars
in its immediate vicinity, and tAit at tho same
time the nntizodiacal light is three times as
bright as the milky way. From a spectroscopic
examination he arrives al the conclusion that
The light is reflected solar light This he veri.
res with the p0lariscope, which separates The
polari1ed hight from the ordinary rays.
ilumbolt, in referring TO it, says that when
Il is seen from elevations OF IRON 1900 to la,oDl
feet at the equator il often exceeds in bright
ness the most brilliant parts OF the milky way
and H. Lias coIfrms this by saying that when
acod ,iew can be gotten OF it in the inter,
tIopi, al zone it is the most beautiful OF an
pbrnomenl.
Silbennau came 70 the conclusion ircIn hi;
observations that the phenomenon had a close
affinity with the afIiuenoc OF shooting stars and
the appearance OF the Aurora Boresls. lie re.
marks in memoir presented 10 the Academy
des Sciences that, whenever there Is an afiiuenee
Of shooting stars there is an Aurora Boreaiis,
either luminous or merely cloudy, in the mean
ATTITUDES, and that numerous facts make him
think that such is also the with the zodiacal
light. 1t is also stated that Respighi in 1866,
or thereabonts, sseertsined by spectrum analysis
that the brilliant nitrogen ray previously dis
covered in the Aurora Borellis existed in the