The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-19
sCzENcE.



only by the slight opalescence which they
impart to the LIQUIDS In which they swarm.
and by their effects In producing diseases
such az horse-sickness. bovine peripncu-
monia and the like There Il little hope
that microscopes will be perfected so that
these invisible microbes can be seen. The
microscope is very near to theoretical per-
lection now. Its resolving power cannot
be pushed beyond the detection of elements
having a breadth OF o. 10 to O.i3 Of a micron
Ia micron Il i-i0oo OF a milllmetrc: that II.
millonth part OF a metre OF about one
twenty-five thousandth part OF an inchJ.
The small microbes OF which We are speak
ing have just about these dimensions One
Of the bacteria present In putrefa Ction has
linear dimensions a million times less than
those OF man and a hundred million times
less than those OF the great trees OF Cali
fornia. Is there any reason TO suppose
that there are bacteria a million or n hun
dred million times smaller than the one just
mentionedy
The question has lately been studied by
NJ. Rrrara. who starts with the hypothesis.
%ae2 0 So nsy and SvsS Xxi
mum SIZE Granting tSs foIe%. that
are complexes made up Of mole culss. them:
selves made up OF congeries OF atoms. and
fa * I'M m szs not
pyoore diens as n basis Of calculation dts
diameter Is about OILS OF a microni. he finds
that IL mus, contain about 1000 a. at0 ON 81
sulpnur ana TIhihiy less than 5p.p1 az
I Iminoid moieoups AS I'M, volumes OF
NE organisms are proportional 70 the cu6e e.
microns in diameter would contain not more
az q, %icr not more Than a three or four
Such To make 1 The %icrobe the s erSansa
ton that II b, sulphur Is REQUIRED: and II
,ohow TIM rtn ,int I'M tr,'a The dSs nsnns
Of the smallest microbrs I possible cannot be
hhaennisIy sm nn anan tne dimensions oil
the sinahes' no" known 10 Us
II 4. well known that the solar nrotuber.
80. .ho,v yeIocitis. Tho, arc yar,, bard 10
ahoes SNOW te, .S ,hae aie Wy ma.u "
other solar phenomena. In "a series Of
memoirs printed during 10000 Herr W. II.
J,,lius has set forth a theory which seems
satisfactory. Without going into great de-
tail, its main points can be given here. The
external layers Of a gaseous body like the
sun cool faster and they fall toward the suns
surface to be replaced by hotter ascendin g
GAS. The convection currents would be
.adiaj, IL the sun was not in rotation. Its
rotary motion gives the descendinR masses
nm increasIn civ greater angular velocity.
ana the contrary ia true for the ascen din q
uasses an that oasoous LAYERS Of different
densities forming vhirlpools-yortexes-
n,esent AT the same Mace Mt the Same time.
The chromosnbere With its protuberances
4. notbin hut this svstem NJ waves and Of
whirl pools rendered visible at greater or less
distances from the solar surface. by solar
light hav,ne lts orlgin " the Lowell layeIs an q
sfha smaller ghirlnoois and The per petnai
eNells OF the surfaces OF discon tinuity sepa-
rating the gaseous Lay layers constitute constitute the
the larger, more extensive. whirlpools. There
is thus no question OF the actual transfer OF
veiocities hut the Quick succession OF the
eame conditions at two different places
AZ each point a whirlpool IL formed. Just as
we soc The foam Of a Ion line OF surf break :
INC on a beach The conditional at each en- d
of the beach are the same and the line OF foam
seems 10 travel from end 10 end but we kno W
very well IN this case .nat .nere II no .ran 20
interpret part Of the new theory Of solar
protuberances.
REMARKABLE RADIATION PHENOMENON.
a, .,r,,o, n,blisbes in No sof the pby.;
,a,:..t. Z.;,.eLr;u an account of n remark
III raa;a,ion phon omenon photopra nhicalIv
ris.a.nd 10 eynosed a negative. in a h.
$3.50 sorroass 20 tha action NJ N, ~ MIA Gin q
,ba senSi,ivo Ain several oentimetres above
49,. u,,,;d ana Knitting nm the opnosite side
y, ~. nlate son,e metallic obiect-a conner
-. Co. Instance After development the
nists showed n clear image of the cross on
SarL ,,,,nd although the cross was not
si,,,n,.d IN The nath ~ The RAYS II ia even
,,,s.ihIs 10 obtain nm image of the cross wbe n
,orta;n suhs ,ancss are interposed het veen
tha cross and the plate: and some liouids
an.n rasnforce the image There is then
s,,aoiec action necu,iar 10 thcliouid SNEAK
asl"' oV,'o' " ~ 80.
Ing generally, these phehonieha are accent
uated when there is q chemical reaction
between the cross and the interposed liquid.
The experimenter has then succeeded In
automatically registering. by photography
certain chemical reactions. The smallest
variations Of Temperature AFFECT the images.
than the rest. The thermic state Of the plate
Is thus automatically registered The heat
OF these chan ges has not yet been fxed Int
II can be affirmed that they are not due 70 the
direct action Of the vapor OF HOS. Of oxygen.
of ozone nor to the effect of ne gative ions.
--.-- ..
PARALLAX DETERMINED BIZ sPECrBoscoPf.
Most stellar parallaxes are determined by
,.a.,,,r. ,ha raIa,ivo nosi,ions ~ ,wo s,ars
opscur,nR .ne ie,a.e poe"'o"S VI '"o s'alr.
A and b. throughout year III Is nearer
TO US than h. then the annual revolution OF
the earth viii make describe very small
ORBIT IN the SKY ABOUT ID ms ,ne nlrthou
proposed oy uai,ieo: ~ Is olllcuN' uencate
and iaoorious Eve Wv ie.a'Ne par ana y
oi the Two s.ais nv aoso,u.e parnnaA o.
a binary s.al SHOWN as SON as ns oIo'
u Iuny ~, u'l,u al" ~ 'n %o.N ~ tne
nhe Oh nsnt , .un,,,,o.en ..an.,.
OF uhe oIon " ,oms anu w ~, ., soah
the spe1.Ioso'p,v Nv, ,aaass'.;'. " ~, a.,
ve,y u. n,sod ha. Inv, heen ann,ied ", Tho i"r