Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-03-27
TO MEASURE SUMS HEAT.
New Telescope to Be Installed at
Mount Wilson Observatory.


All the astronomers are about
agreed that in time the sun will stop
sending heat to the earth. and before
its warmth is entirely withdrawn all
human life and all other forms of life
here will have persisted. Professor
Jacoly, who fills the chair of astrono-
my al Columbia University. in discus
sing phase OF this subject, would not
Sa% how long a time must elapse be
fore this end of all comes BY exact
reckonings and careful computations
with the passing .'"2"s, the astrono-
mers hope to be able to measure the
loss and leave it to the philosophers to
count its effect IN mankind.
What the astronomers desire most
to aid them in their calculation is tax
ing shape in Carifornia. where a great
telescope. designed especially for the
purpose of measuring the quantity Of
heat radiated by the sun and how
much the earth intereepts of it, is
now being installed at the Mount Will
son observatory. the telescope itself
is not the measuring instrument, but
this one is designed to make the mea-
SUI ements more certain and give more
information than can be gathered by
the recording Instruments elsewhere
in use Professor Jacoby explains the
object Of the telescope and what may
be demonstrated by it III this way:
"By the thcrmometrlc methods the
quantity OF heat from the sun that
the earth intercepts may be measured
and how much goes into space maH
he estimated. 1t is obvious that the
quantity Of radiatcd heat is very
large and going on through the ages
it should long since have made the
sun cold and dead if it had no means
of renewing its store Various rea-
SOS are advanced for the sun re-
nGWal of heat energy The most plau-
sblc one now accepted is due to the
late Professor Helmholtz, the famous
physicist of Berlin He assumed that
the sun was shrinking as result OF
mutual eravitatipn among its consti-
tuent particles. This would produce a
pressure resembling an impact when
the outer particles fell in on the inner
particles
This theory raises new question
r. the sun is shrinking why do we not
see it growing smaller? Professor
Helmholtz answered it. He was able
to calculate that owing to the vast
bulk of the sun, il would require a
slirinlzage of 800 foot per annum te
produce ar annual output, represent
ing heat energy as estimated by thefe-
metric observations on earth TO make
any appreciate difference, but that
this shrinlkage could not he measured
by any Instruments We now possess
Ion account Of the great distance
of the sun from us, the shrinkaSe
within it might continue Ter seVera
thousand Years before I'VE noticed the
change. and yet during all that time
the sun might be replemshlhS lts
stock Of heat energy.
Professor Jacoby made it clear thai
the replrnished energy oil the sun
even while the luminary was wasting
away. would come from the impact oil
the outer particles upon the inner, IN
tensifving bv the beY the power o.
the whole body. for the time being
and at The same time setting up WITH
in IL IN additional destructive force u
hasten its disintegration He CALMLY
remarked that. eff course, the eafti
could not go on foreVer-it was mol
likely that this solar system Woole
last.
If IS figured that only a small par
If The suns heat reaches this earth a.
lest. Professor Jacoby docs not thihF
that much of il is lost in the terres-
trial atmosphere, but its interceptiof
elsewhere may be gathered from tht
authoritative statement that the sur
tnat is ordinarily visible to us, bound
ed by the "photosphere, is only
small part of the real sun. ana tina
outside the philosophers is an enVe
Iope mainly composed OF hydrogen
ana outside of this another envelope
called the corona: the height or th'
corona in the suns atmosphere belhs
assumed to be a half million miles
II is held that toward the philosopher
tic temperature is so high That INT
chemical clements are dlssocldted lht'
finer forms of matter, ana III the cooi
or regions Of the atmosphere, near th'
confines of the corona, Napors give
place to solid particles and masses
Thus the corona, going to helSht o
= half million miles. intercepts vas
quantities Of heat that is not radlatet
toward the earth. and the eXpanse o
the sun that is unmeasured raulate'
AN illimitable energy into lillmitapi'
SPACE till this little carth appears M
a small onsumcr.-Boston Transcript