The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1914-11-24
THE HAsKIN LETTER
Measuring the Heat Of Stars
By Frederick ]. HasIin.

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An instrument literally made Of
cobwsbs and crystalline flakes, so
delicate that It had to be built under
microscope, and so sensitive that
with the cid Of telescope It Will
register the the presence OF candle
hfty-three miles away, and will ac-
c,rately measure the heat OF ceaes-
tial bodies when their radiance is
focused upon 1t, Is the achievement
OF W. w Coblentze, scientist In the
employ OF the United States Bureau
OF Standards.
Having been apprised OF this fact,
the average hard-headed citizen lays
down his paper with a derisive snort,
and bluntly, demands:
What's the use? Why should any
man spend his time and energy meas
uring the heat of stars, and when the
thing has been accomplished, what
benefit is the human race going to
derive. from it?' ,s
This question has been ably an
swered by Mr.. Coblentze himself;
wherefore 1t will be we'll to set forth
his answer first, and then, perhaps,
You will be more curious to know how
the thing was done.
One naturally pictures the man who
measured starlight as a long-whis-
kered, patriarchal-looking dreamer, a
sort of modern alchemist, an explor-
er OF mystical things beyond the ken
of ordinary human thought. Instead
OF that, you find hima brisk, practic-
al, energetic young man. with keen
eyes and quick, nervous hands OF
marvellous dexterity. He Is not an
astronomer at all, but an associate
physicist, and most OF his days are
spent in solving questions about heat
sent to the bureau Of manufacturers
in all parts OF the country.
Mr.. Coblentze answered the cues
Etion as to the usefulness of his in
.vention from both the scientific and
the utilitarian point OF view. His
ANSWER as scientist was: sit goes
into the big storehouse of human
knowledge; no one can guess what
its ultimate use may be-" And he
went on to explain that some years
ass an astronomer had taken photo
metric measurements of all the stars
OF q certain magnitude, and with the
aid OF this data and his own appara-
tus, Mr.. Coblentze was able to dis
cover that red stars are giving OFF
from two to three times as much
heat as blue ones, and the therefore
burning out just that much faster.
Thus, each man building upon the
work OF those that have gone before,
science slowly explores the great I'M
known universe beyond the earth.
Each separate achievement is only a
trtfe, and seems an isolated and in
significant thing in itself; but 1t is
ore more link in the chain of knowl-
edge.
The immediate use which astronomy
will probably make of this inven-
ton will be to study the heat OF the
variable stars celestial bodies about
which very little is known. 1t has
also been suggested that the instru-
ment may be the means OF learning
more about Mars, the planet which
for centuries has fired the magma
ton not only OF scientists, but Of all
humanity. 1t is we'll known that the
surface of Mars is thought to be cut
by immense canals, which appear to
have been the work of intelligent be-
tngs. and which, II such is the case,
would Indicate that the Martians have
carried science Of engineering to a
perfection which would make the
achievements of the human race in
that line look insignificant. The
Panama Canal would be as small
ditch beside the canals Of Mars.
1t has been found that heat rad
lated from water will give slightly
different reaction upon "a very deli
cate mechanism from that given by
heat radiated from a solid body. In
this way 1t is possible that the truth
may be learned about the canals OF
Mars, and even that something may
be ascertained as to the rest of its
surface, which has been thought by
some astronomers to be covered with
red vegetation.
So much for the value of measur-
ing star heat to astronomy and
science at large. And now, back to
earth. The most obvious value OF the
invention from unitarian point of
view lies in the fact that 1t Is a Won
derfully sensitive and accurate in
strument for measuring heat. Such
an instrument is called a radiation
promoter. 1t is used for such or
binary and mundane purposes as
measuring the heat Of blast furnaces
and rolling mill billets. Mr.. Coblentze
has primarily perfected radiation
pyrometer several hundred times as
sensitive as any other, one which is
capable of registering mtllionth OF
a degree Of heat, and 1t will have d
variety of uses in the industrial world
One part of the complete mechan-
ism for measuring star heat Is wat
er cell, through which the light Of the
stars is passed in order to eliminate