New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-07-06
TO SNAPSHOT SUN
10000 FEET IN AIR
Professor Todd Sails to
View Total Eclipse
at Riga.


Professor David P. Todd, Of Amherst
College, sailed from this city Saturday
for the purpose of carrying out unique
experiment in Riga, Russia, next month.
Professor Todd intends to ascend 10000
feet in an aeroplane and make photo
graphs 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 cary out his plan Professor
Todd will have to set new mark for
an altitude record. The present record
is trife over 10000 feet and in max
ing it the aviators 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 all ex-
pert photographer. If he succeeds in
finding an aviator and machine cap
able of taking him to the great height
mentioned above, there is possibility
of his hanging up new mark for
both avators and photographers 20
shoot at Professor Todd expects to
solve the mystery Of the corona Of the
sun. which mas bafflcd astronomers for
ages.
Before he sailed Professor Todd said:
There are two predominating rea-
sons for my selection OF ap aeroplane
TO study the eclipse, which Will occur
On August 20 and - and will be visible
only partly in the United States.
The first reason is because un-
favorable weather conditions could
make my long trip and labori-
GUS 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.
"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 solving
the mysteries OF the phenomenon.
Twenty thousand feet above the
earth the power of absorption is ma
torially reduced. and ! expect to OBJ
tain the best photographs Of the cor
ona 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. Ny first work after reach
ing Riga will be to select 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 guide and interpreter.
"Oncc settled. | plan to go direct 10
Paris and engage an aeronaut and
aeroplane. do not anticipate any
difficulty in engaging one. for feel
that the spirit Of the undertaking will
appeal particularly to the inherent love
for scientific advancement that seems
to be 2 part Of every Gaul
Now. just bear in mind that tn.
eclipse is due 10 occur at approxi-
matcly 1880 o'clock in Riga, which
would be about 1880 O'Clock in the
morning here, and that II will last only
two minutes and fourteen seconds.
Everything that is to be done must be-
planned 10 the minutest detail and
carefully rehearsed over and over
again"
The mystery of ages which Professor
Todd's photographs may solve is
whether the great bands and streamers
Of pale light, some straight and some
curved, proceed from the gigantic up
hcavals of vaporizcd metals and gases
in the sun itself and are reflected TO the
earth by comparatively cold gases or
concrete particles forming the corons,
or whether the light comes from in.
candescent material in the corona.