The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-02-13

million million times less dense than
air. although the phenomena Of
light would seem TO indicate that
the elasticity OF the ether rescm
bles that which would he possessed
by an absolutely iucompressiblc
solid, The ether is 700 mysterious
n thing 20 be discussed here. hut
there is no doubt that j, does con.
yey the vibrations that produce
light.
There Is no doubt. too, that there
might be eyes differently construct
ed from ours, which could perceive
vibrations both slower aud swifter
than those which affect Us. inst as,
there may be ears (among insects.
for instancel. which perceive
sounds that are too shrili for our or.
gans of hearing. There arc yibra
tioCs Of the ether. too rapid 20 af.
feet the eve, which arc peTceiyel
and recorded on uEutog~auhic
plate We may suppose thar there
are insects. or other hcirgs. that
can actually see THESE ultraviolet
light waves ~ thcv are chilled. hut
color they present J. may bc
any color that We ever see.
To return 10 the roloTed lights or
tho elevated railroad trains. We may
remark that the rcd and yellow -ays
consist of comparatively long ethor
waves, vibrating relatively slowly.
and these long slow waves seem 90
possess more penetrating power
than the shorter aud swifter waves
that cause the sensation Of green.
blue or violet. If n white light
shines through 4 fog it assumes 4
reddish color, because the short
waves that it contains are inter.
cepted, while the longer. aud. IN q
sense, stronger red rays get through
and show themselves.
This is the reason why the sun
when NJ the point OF setting ap-
pears of an orange. or reddish,
color. When 1t is overhead ITS
light has TO traverse a thickness
of atmosphere and vapors boot
thirty times less than that which
it must traverse at sunset; the
consequence is that the sun at
noon appears blindiugly white, all
the colors getting through more
or less completely and mingling
together; while at sunset little
more than the red rays are able
to penetrate the great mass OF
interposed air and vapors. and so
the sun looks red and compare
lively faint,
The blueness Of the sky is due
to the fact that while the long red
and yellow rays pass readily
through the atmosphere, many OF
the short blue and violet rays arc
scattered by the minute PARTICLES
OF the air, or the particles floating
in it, and from them are reflected
to our eyes. Near sunset the sky
turns orange, or red, because thon
the blue rays are largely cut Oft
before they reach the layers Of al
mosphere directly over US. and the
water drops in the clouds, and the
vapors about them, retact only
the orange and red rays, thus
giving their tone to the sky.
Sometimes at sunset the whole
atmosphere resembles an immense
screen OF prismatic eolors, begin
ming overhead with blue. then turn
ing green lower down, then orange
still lower. and finally red near the
horizon. The one common source o.
all this magnificent display of col.
ors is the white light OF the sun,
whose waves. Of various lengths and
various rapidities of vibration, ars
transmitted and reflected in vary
ing degree by the atmosphere and
the vapors floating In 1t.
II we lived upon world revolv
ing round one Of the red or blue
suns which we know TO exist Ia
space we should enjoy no such spec
tacles, for there light could be OF
only one color. consisting OF one
single wave length, which could
not be divided. and everything
about us--howers. trees, grass
would appear either black or Of the
prevailing hue of the monochrom
attic (single.colored) sun which
lighted us.