The Richmond climax. (Richmond, Ky.) 1897-1914, 1911-04-05
MYSTERY OF LIGHT
Some Luminosity So Intense the
Eyes Cannot See 1t.
THE RIDDLE OF THE FREELY.

When II Is Solved, IS IL Eventually
viii Be, We Shall Have Light With
out Heat and the Perfect Lamp.
The scientist set down a small black
box and impatiently pushed aside the
powerful microscope and the delicate
bolometer. ut is most discouraging
be muttered. "to have such a treasure
before ones eyes and still be unable
to grasp it."
looked in the little box. surprised
to End nothing but a few brilliant fire.
files. The scientist began to explain.
'In that box is the most efficient H.
luminant known to man. The radiant
output from one Of those insects cor
responds TO nearly Fifty watts can
die. while our very best artificial illu-
minant, the flaming arc lamp, gives
only two or three watts to the candle
The light from those insects. as re-
corded by the bolometer, radiates little
If any heat, while the very best mean
descent lamps waste more than 90 per
cent of the electrical energy In useless
heat. II could read this secret Of
the insect world and make a lamp aft
sr its pattern / could produce 3S4 can
lie power from the same current that
gives sixteen candle power today. Some
day the secret win be read"
The source of all light Except the
light from frefiies and their kim is a
substance raised to a temperature sui
1cient to set up waves In the sur
rounding ether. which, when falling
upon the eye, produce the sensation
we know as light Light waves vary
in length between one thirty-three-
thousand four-hundredth and one six
ty-6ve-thousandth of an inch. the FIRST
being extreme red and the second ex-
IRENE violet. Rays Of white light
have a length of one forty-five-thou-
sandth Of an inch. The sun Is a great
mass of white hot matter. 1t is the at
Inosphere that enables Us to see light.
and outside of our atmosphere It Is abb
solute darkness, as dark as the interior
tf Mammoth cave. In an arc lamp It
Is the white hot particles Of carbon
floating between the two electrodes
that produce light. In the incandes-
cent lamp It Is the hairpin flament In
side the glass globe that, when heated
by electricity, gives OF light waves.
In gas and oil lamps light is produced
ty the heated particles Of carbon In the
flames above the wick or mantle.
The eye can stand without firing q
trilliance Of about Eve candle power
to the square inch of surface. The or
binary candle fame gives only two or
three candle power to the square inch.
while the sun at zenith gives 100000.
The arc light ranks next to sunlight,
with 10000 candle power an inch, and
the best tungsten fiament incandes-
cents give 1000 candle power. This
means that If the sun could be chang
ed into a ball of tungsten It would
tlroW Of only 1000 candle power Of
light from every square inch Of Its
surface, when the world would be
practically dark and we should freeze
I'd death In a week.
The prism shows that white light is
composed Of happy blend Of all col
Ors Of the spectrum. The sun gives
the only pure white light, with the arc
Humps a close second and the metal
tllament incandescents taking third
place. Sky light, such as comes from
the north on a clear day, Is blush
white. Gas mantles give greenish
light. open dame yellow light and kero-
sane orange light.
Pr tho In NE Of nxro1r.ffo.. A.. ..
eye has become accustomed to sun
Hight. or sky light, coming obliquely
flOm above, and our eyes resent light
coming from any other source. Snow
b indness. distress from white sand or
water, is the result of violating this
rifle. The upper eyelid is adapted to
shade the eye from a strong light
fiom above. The lower lid cannot per-
form this Office, so when a strong light
is reflected up into the eyes 1t blinds
ulh
The x ray has proved beyond doubt
that there are light rays which move
too fast for human eyes to register.
This light penetrates books. wood, pa.
per and even human flesh. With the
Microscope to assist our eyes we can
see the bones In our arm without both.
cling tc remove coat or shirt. But
man with X ray eyes would be sadly
handicapped in this world. for he
ctuld see nothing but solids, such as
etrths and metals, and would be IN
able to see board fence at ALL Be
ytlnd doubt there Is light so bright
that the eyes cannot see It, aud to Us
all is darkness beyond what our eyes
Will register
Light rays themselves are invisible
When they move through the ether
alone our eyes cannot see them. conse,
qlIently all Is total darkness. But
when they meet with the resistance Of
Drr atmosphere. producing heat, they
register on the retina and-behold, we
can see! as the atmosphere thlns
rapidly as we 60 upward 50 in pro
portion the air resistance dlminishes.
ard consequently the heat OF the sun
seems to grow less. This explains
why the tops Of high mountains are
always covered with snow.
Many wonderful discoveries have
been recorded IN the illunlinating feld
Of late. and it Is safe to say that this
branch Of science affords one Of the
greatest heIds for research and inven-
titn. Each year our artificial illumi.
nants are improved. but they are far
f1Im being perfect. Not until the Sc
crst Of the freely IS read and light IS
produced without heat win our even
Ink lamps be perfect. Chicago Record
Hi.rald