The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-07-29
TO SNAPSHOT sun
10000 FEET UP
Professor Todd Will Photograph
Rays During Eclipse.
TO SET ALTITUDE RECORD.

Hopes to Solve Mystery of Sun Which
Has Baffled Astronomers For Ages.
Amherst Professor Has Had consid
cradle Experience In BalIooning and
Is Expert photographer.
Professor David Todd of Amherst col
lege has sailed from New York for the
purpose of carrying out a unique ex-
pertinent in Riga, Russia next month
Professor Todd intends to ascend 20
600 feet in an aeroplane and make
photographs of the suns rays during
an eclipse which will occur in August
The announcement caused much in
terest in aviation circles, inasmuch as
in order to carry out his plan Profess
sor Todd will have TO set new mark
for an altitude record, says the New
York Tribune. The present record is
trifie over 10000 feet. and in max
ing it the ayiators found it necessary
to use oxygen helmets and other meth
DDS to prevent being overcome by the
changes in pressure incidental to the
high altitude
Professor Todd has had considerable
experience in ballooning and is an ex-
pert photographer. If he succeeds in
hndlng an aviator and machine capa-
BILE of taking him to the great height
mentioned above there is a possibility
OF his hanging up a new mark for
both ayiators and photographers TO
shoot at. Professor Todd expects TO
solve the mystery of the corona of the
sun, which has baffied astronomers for
ages. Before he sailed he said:
There are two predominating rea,
sons for my selection of an aeroplane
TO study the eclipse which will occur
on Aug. 20 and 81 and will be visible
| only partly in the United States. The
first reason is because unfavorabIe
weather conditions could make nv
long trip and laborious preparations all
result in vain. | can rise easily above
any of these factors in an aeroplane
and will 20 just as high as a French
aerOnaut will dare to carry me-
Expects Fine Photograph
The second reason is because of the
peculiar power of absorbing the light
of the corona that is contained in the
atmosphere Immediately surrounding
the earth. From the ground it is i'm
| possible to reproduce the corona on a
Photographic plate with any absolute
accuracy. And the correctness of re-
| production means much toward soly-
| ing the mysteries of the phenomenon
Twenty thousand feet above the
earth the power of absorption is ma
| terially reduced, and l expect to obtain
the best photographs of the corona that
| have ever been taken.
This is the smallest expedition that
| have ever taken. My wife. my daugh-
! ter Millicent and one or two immedi
ate members of my family will form
| the party. My first work after reach
| ing Riga will be to select a site for OBJ
servation and pick out a suitable place
for the starting and landing of the
| aerOplane. The Russian government
has co-operated with me most gra-
| ciously, having furnished passports,
free transportation for my party and
| instruments and Offering the services
of a guide and interpreter.
To Engage French Air Man.
| Once settled | plan To 90 direct to
| al - anu cllSdSe an deTOuduL ana
aeroplane. l do not anticipate any
| difficulty in engaging one for l feel
that the spirit of the undertaking will
appeal particularly to the inherent love
| for scientific advancement that seems
tc be a part of every Gaul
Now, just bear in mind that the
eclipse is due to occur at approximate
| ~ 1870 O'Clock in Riga, which would
he about 7:30 O'Clock in the morning in
New York. and that it will last only
two minutes and fourteen seconds Ev-
erything that is to be done must be
planned to the minutest detail"
The mystery of ages which Professor
Todd's photographs may solve is
whether the great bands and stream
ers of pale light, some straight and
some curved. proceed from the gigan-
tic upheavals of vaporized metals and
gases in the sun itself and are reflect
ed to the earth by comparatively cold
gases or concrete particles forming the
| corona Or whether the light comes
from incandescent material in the CO
| roma.