The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1905-01-21
ON RADIO ACTIVITY
Prof. Snyder Gives Outcome Of
Investigations

PHILADELPHIA, Pa, Jan. 20
Prof. Monroe B. Snyder, director Of
the Philadelphia observatory, gave his
preliminary paper on universal celestial
radio activity tonight before meeting
of the American Philosophical society.
B He said that his investigations had
been conducted on the guiding princi-
pie of the force of probability, and
that any hypothesis submitted had
been relentlessly tested by actual facts,
and only achieved after such tests.
Radio activity, he said, is the trans
formation of one element of higher
atomic weight into another of lower
atomic weight, with the release Of
light vibrations of characteristic in
been established on physical and chem
1cal evidence that radium was actu-
ally transformed into a substance
which had been called radium emana-
ton and this emanation then fur
Their transformed into helium
Following the researches published
by Sir William Ramsey and Hartmann,
OF the astrophysical observatory at
Potsdam, Prof. Snyder identified ra-
dunn emanation with five coronal
lines and particularly with the
coronal material discovered by
Profs. Young and Hardness during
the total solar eclipse of 1859, and
thence called coronium. He found that
the intensest line of radium existed
low down in Young'S reversing layer
as shown in Humphreys photograph
of the flash spectrum of May 10, 1901.
Radium, it is true, showed no other
suggestion of reversal, but whether
reversed or not, it's existence near the
philosophers was not only verified by
this strongest line, but by probably
four other radium lines of greatest in
tensity. The most intense of all GER
tainly reversed itself into a very deli
cate dark line of Rowland.
He had also identified five of the
lines of the radium emanation with
VogefS best determined lines of the
Aurora and found that the emanation
must have moved through the earth.s
atmosphere at high velocity.
A preliminary examination of Nova
Perseif showed that several lines of
the new substance could be identified
and that, marvelously enough, Per-
rine's spectrum of the nebulosity about
the new star was in fair accord with
Hartmann's spectrum of radium ema-
nation.
He had identified seven lines of the
radium emanation and three of radium
in the bright line stars of Campbell,
and besides accounted for the spectrum
OF No. 81 of Campbelfs stars in every
character through the spectrum of
radium and radium emanation..
He had accurately identified three lines
of the emanation and two of radium in the
spectra of the nebula and approximately
six other radium lines and one radium
emanation line. Finally he had made at
least a dozen positive identifcations of
radium lines with the dark absorption
lines of the fourth type stars as recently
measured by Hale, of the Yerke's observa-
tory.
Radio-activity was evidently a tremend-
Gus factor in the evolution of the heavenly
bodies and while we now had satisfac-
tory explanation of the radiant. coronae of
the stars. there was Also evidently, a re-
verse process of Regeneration of the
luminescent emanation into larger masses
The localizatien of critical conditions
of temperature in the heavenly bodies
and hence localization of radio activity
accounted for many of the hitherto mex
plicable phenomena of the sun, stars, new
stars and comets It was not simply a
question of carrying the investigations
further by using the facts demonstrated
! and the theories at hand. in order to re-
vivify the whole domain of astronomy.
Prof. Snyder said that he thought he
could see from this transfer of the study
of radio activity to the stars, the be-
ginning of clearer conceptions for the en-
tire group of physical sciences.