Farmers' champion. (Elgin, Okla.) 1912-1922, 1913-10-02

, ~ cable dispatch from London
- the other day Have Sir
William Ramsay and his
fellows actually found earthly sub
stances from which this elusive and
extraordinary light element can be
produced? II SO aviation. or more ac-
curately the range OF the dirigible bal
loon. will be enormously increased.
hut this is only one aspect OF very
wide field OF possible services and sis-
, nifcance.
The discovery OF coronium is an
other example of the astonishing reve-
lations which have come with the de
velopment OF the spectroscope and its
union with photography. by means
OF this wonderful instrument physi-
cis,s have been able to detect and
render visible the unseen OF millions
OF miles away. Az Professor Menden-
hall expressed II q few years ago:
by this device man is put into com"
municntion with every considerable
body In the universe. including even
the invisible The goings on OF Sirius
and Algol. of Orion and the Plelades
are reported to him across enormous
stretches OF millions OF millions OF
miles OF space. empty save or the
ethereal medium itself. by this most
wonderful wireless teiegraphy. And
Il is by the vibratory motion OF the
invisibly small that all OF this is re-
vealed. the infinitely 'tue Vas enabled
us to conquer the inconceivably big.
But the spectroscope would be In
complete were It not for the exceed
ingly ingenious apparatus called the
bolometer. invented by the late Prof.
2. =. Langley. The sensitiveness OF
the bolometer is 30 exquisite that II
responds TO temperature changes OF
mllionth OF a degree The bolometer
IL an eye that sees In the dark. To
quote Professor Langley:
Since II is one and the same solar
energy whose manifestations are
called light or heat according to the
medium which interprets them. what
is light to the eve Is heat to the
bolometer and what Is seen as a dark
line by the eye Ia felt as a solid line
by the aentient instrument
paratus revealed to Professor Langley
what had been considered far beyond
the pale Of the recordable. He was
using the bolometer up on Mount
Whitney and was working away at the
known spectrum, ra.iently measuring
the heat OF the various lines. He
stumbled upon a great discovery. ale
went down the spectrum. noting the
evidence OF invisible heat die out on
the scale OF the instrument until he
came to the apparent end OF the invts-
ible, beyond which the most prolonged
researches OF investiga -Jrs up to that
time had shown nothing
There he watched the Indications
grow fainter and fainter until they.
too. ceased al the point where the
French investigators believed they
had found the very end OF the end.
by some happy thought he pushed the
indications OF this delicate instrument
into the region stiil beyond. In the
still air of this lofty region the sun
beams passed unimpeded by the mists
OF the lower earth. and the curve of
heat which had fallen to nothing be-
gan to rise again. There was some
thing there For he found. suddenly.
Unexpectedly. a new spectrum of great
extent. wholly unknown TO science and
whose presence was revealed by the
bolometer"
Thus the way was prepared for thu
detection OF coronium.
During the solar eclipse az MAY IS
1900. Professor Abbott. with the aid
OF Professor Mendenhali. was able to
measure the heat or the corona. and
that was probably the first time that
IL was really shown TO exist Here,
again. the spectroscope. photography
and the bolometer rendered great
eeryice.
The sun es ordinarily seen Is bound
ed by the so-called phoiosphere and is
really but small part OF the true sun.
Outside the photosphere is an envel.
ope composed mainly of ~ '-ogen. and
outside OF this there is another envel.
ope which has been called the corona.
The beautiful photograph taken In
May OF 1900. which accompanies this
article. illustrates this part OF the sun.
II Is estimated that the height OF the
corona In the suns atmosphere Is a
matter OF half million miles: and It
Is believed that toward the photo
sphere the heat is so intense that the
chemical elements ave dissociated
into finer forms Of matter. In the