The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1911-03-22
To IMPROVE
WEATHER
'.. FORECASTS
Congress AppTOprIates Five
Thousand Dollars TO Test
Sun Radiation
Cry Leased Wire)

Of $4,000 ii will be able to 40 much
toward improving the character Of
the weather forecasts, especially in
the matter of long distance forecasts
besides rendering a great service to
agriculture
This appropria, on was asked and
readily granted to enable Dr. G. G
Abbott, director Of the asteophysical
observatory OF the Smithsonian Insti-
tution to complete within the next
year certain solar investigations. 1t
is stated that if the expected cOncIu-
sions from these investigations are
reached the United States VIII have
made a discovery OF the first rank,
such as Is not often recorded in ass
tronimical work,
These Investigations are expected
to establish that the radiation OF the
sun varies, ami that this variation pro
duces a corresponding variation in the
temperature ol the earth.
Station in Southern Mexico.
TO complete the tests which have
been and still are being made at the
observatory here in Washington (sea
level) at Mount Whitney (three miles
elevaton) and at Mount Wilson tone
mile eevation), Dr.. Abbott finds it
necessary to establish station in the
cloudless regions of Southern Mexi-
co. Observations then will be taken
q the new station and al Mount VIII
SON simultaneously and il the two
sets OF measurements should agree
the c2aclnsion viii be proved.
Congress has provided for this trip
to Mexico by adding $1,000 to the
appropriation regularly made for the
work OF the Astrophgslcal observatory
tor the intense qualification OF DR.. Alb
bott and Secretary Walcott of the
Smithsonian Institution, as they are
hopeful of success attending the un-
dertaking. While the expedition will
not set out for Mexico until next July
when 1t is hoped peaceful con n'itons
Will be restored in the Southern Repub-
Tic, the work Of preparation already
is uEder way. IN speaking OF the
work, Or Abbott says,
When we began to make these
measurements, there was nowhere in
the world any exact scale of measure
ment of radiation, although physi--
cists had been working in devising
instrumsf Is for that purpose for about
sixty years. Still there remained an
uncertainty of % 10 per cent in the
scale Of pyrheliomeiry as it is call
ed We have devised Instruments to
be used as standards for that purpose
and in this last year we made care
full comparison OF two of our irstru-
mems OF the most improved type,
and these agreed perfectly in fixing
the scale Of measurements.
Apparatus Used as Standard.
"Th's apparatus Is used now as
standard by which TO standardize 9TH
er apparatus which has been sent
around the world. We have sent in
struments to France and Italy and
have reques.s for them from Argen-
tina, Peru and other countries.
Our measurements at Mouat VIII
son have been carried or for several
years. The tirst expedition was in
1905, and We have observed almost
daily for six months of each year
from 1905 to 1910, excepting in 1881
In 1910, | was fortunate in having two
weeks OF good weather on the SUM
nit Of Mourt Whitney which is the
highest mountain in the United
States carried on there complete
measurements which were simultan-
eous with those carried OH at Mount
Wilson. We have found that the re-
suhs obtaine. at Mount Whtcey
CHECK and substantiate completely
the work we were doing at Mount
Wilson. Therefore, having establish
ed a standard scale OF measurement,
and having shown that we get the
same results at Washington, Mount
Wilson and Mount Whitney, we are
now able to state the value of the
solar constant OF radiation This val
ne IS OF an importance equal to that
OF the distance Of the sun In as,ron-
omlcal work. Our measurements
show a range OF the value OF the solar
radiation outside Of our atmosphere
Of about per cent
Relation OF Sun and Temperature.
Now by taking stations so far
apart that no local condition in the
atmosphere can affect them bo.h. we
may actually prove whether or not
these variations are in the sun or are
something that we have not eliminat-
ed In the atmosphere IT we find
them in the SUM- we shall have made
discovery of the firs, raGk. II is
clear that If the sun varies, the tenn
perature of the earth must wary cor
respondingly, perhaps NOT always the
same at all stations, because the
earth is so affected by the presence
OF wa,er and mountains and the like
that not all stations woulH behave
exactly alike; but yet we win be able
TO find a relation between the iadia-
tion Of the sun aad the jepperaat4e
iof the earth hat viii lAetSoaj lhpoisseit
TO the meteorolog cal service of this
country and abroad that undoubtedly
this work sc are doing will be con
tinued daily al several stations over
the world II we snail prove the vari-
alton ip the sun
The appreciation Of the work that
Or Abbott is doing is shown In the
fact that during the past year the
Draper gold medal was awarded by
the National academy Vi sciences 10
Or Abbott for his valuable research
es in solar radiation