The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1912-02-21
Scientists Have Reached
Pit and Analysed
THE AMOUNT Of SALT THEREIN
A Little History of the Fiery
Orb Which Lights the
Earth by Day.
GOLD Is NOT FOUND IN SUN

Scientific men have at last reach
ed the furnace pit of the earth's sun
and analysed the amount of salt
therein
Such are the wonders of the spec
troscope. This wonderful instru-
ment delves into the innermost Sc
crets of matter and divulges ma
lures schemes with most marvellous
accuracy.
About half the elements are we'll
known and about half are hardly
known at all. We have all heard
of aluminium, anthony, arsenic,
bismuth, calcium, carbon, CHLORINE,
cobalt, copper, gold. hydrogen, To-
dine, iron, lead, lithium, magnes-
ium, mercury, nickel, nitrogen, oxy-
gen, phosphorus, platinum, potas-
stun, radium, silicon, silver, sodium.
sulphur, tin and zinc. But how
many people have heard Of colum-
blum or niobium, erbium, gadolin-
ium, indium, lanthanum, neodym-
ium, phrseodymium. rhodium, sa-
maIium, terbium, thuiium, ytterb-
ium, yttrium, chromium or europ-
ium? Some of these rare elements
have been detected in a most won
derful and interesting way by spec
trum analycic. II is well known that
Al Of &c u
mixture of colored waves of light.
and that the colored waves can be
separated from each other by pass
ing the white light through a prism.
All solid bodies,as platinum plate,
steel poker, IL heated to what is
called white heat, give off similar
composite white light than can be
analysed into component colored
waves. But it has been found that
when any substance is reduced to
state of vapor and rendered mean
descent, it no longer gives off white
light, but certain characteristic col
ored rays which can be analysed by
a prism and so distinguished from
all other substances. In rough way
the colored rays can be discerned by
the eye, and the colored lights of
pyrotechnic displays are rough IL
Illustrations of this principle.
The scientific instrument for the
analysis of the light of incandes-
cent vapors by means of prism is
known as a "spectroscope," and the
actual analysis is known as spec
trum analysis.
BY means of vaporizing y T.
stances and analyzing their light,
the most minute traces OF ellen. en's
may be detected For instance, one
part of a grain of sodium, one six
one hundred and eighty millionth
millionth part of a grain OF lithium
one millionth part of a grain %
strontium and calcium can be de-
tected.
In view of the wonderful delica-
cy of this mode of analysis it is not
strange that it led to the discovery
of some of the rarer elements. The
Importance of the spectroscope,
therefore, in the Identification ana
discovery of elements is undeniable
and remarkable fact may be men
Toned. However distant incandes- f.
cent light may be, it can be analyz- .
ed by the spectroscope which pro-
duced it.
We can identify not only the salt !
burning in a kitchen fire, but the (
salt burning in the furnace OF the p
sun. A substance burning in the ,
sun 100000 miles away may be /
detected with as much certainty as
IL it were in the laboratory, and in
this way we have found out the con-
stitution of suns and auroras and |.
nebulae.
In our own sun we have discover
ed about half the elements known Y
on earth, including iron,' carbon,
aluminium. sodium, potas-
SUM, magnesium. silicon, hydrogen,
zinc, copper. silver, tin and lead.
Gold is not found in the sun. hut
some of the rare metals are plentl-
full, and helium was found in the
sun before it was found in the earth.
In nebulae an element. nebulium.
has been detected, which has not
been found in the earth.-[ Chicago