The Meeker herald., 1916-02-26
beau OF our sun
70 Measure II Is q Pespi0ing
Probtem For Science.
mEwTox ONCE TRIED TO 90 n

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q t,sss.3oe ossrsss cs~sisrsds, whiis
ths Lsssse Ess~ssss s1sss II u
Absvt $50 Ds9rssA
How hos Il tie sun1 The question
has haea answered. in many dtHsSenr
vays. and Il - By No MEANS certain
that We have yet arrived ~ an even
lpp<o1tmateiy acruSate answer fef
II world seem that. AZ the sun Is the
ooly soorrs Of the enrth's beat and
as We know the exact distance Of the
sun. il ought to- be easy To calculate
his beat That h what Newton tb"oSht
IN l2sO vhen- finding that . tbsrmom-
etef Registered 10 degrees e. In the
sur and 9.45 degrees C. tn tie shade
and applying the law Of the square Of
distance he announced that the sun's
heat vas l.s7n. I'D degrees C.,
IN 1857 Xsr John HesscheI and PoUfl-
let devised special instruments for
measuring the solar beat bat at the
very bexinnfnS disagreed on funds
n<ntaI question PuufIbef wanted to
estimate that the earrh's atmosphere
crIr OF half the suns heat: Hefschel
Insisted that 10 cut % only ooe-third-
Herxche4 reached The conclusion that
rL.r suns heat Was two caIorfas per
square eentimefef GER minute Poufl
let calculated IL At Lstss3 czlosies per
square centimefeT per minute This
means that the suns rays falling vef-
tEcaIiy Upon each square centimetef OF
the ear,h-s surface would be sufficient
Iy powerful II h were not for their
absorption BY our atmosphere. to raise
lIsss3 zrams Of water Ooe degree c
per Minnfe- Thfz number Is what ~
srononers call the solar constant
PouiIIes's figures. IL. were generally
accepted until recentIy. Forbes BY ex
perfments 1t the top and at the basr
of high mountain calculated that Is
WAS the correct number. Wolfe made
h 2J4 and Crova asserted that it vas
certainly superior To two calories per
square csnfimefer per minute
The American Langley invented the
boSomefer. by means Of which he
measured the intensity Of each my By
the length Of its wave before entering
or atmosphere. Thus be proved that
the rays Of shortest length are those
that are most absorbed 1t Is rs II we
placed two red glasses between our
selves and the sun. one representing
the suns atmosphere and one repre-
senttDx our own
The Able Noreux. director Of the
Bourses observatory. declares in an
article IN Cnsmos that II these two at
n1ospberes were eliminated and ne
could see the sun As be really ID he
would appear to lie . brilliant greenish
blue.
Lsnsiey's calculations placed the 30
la CONSTANT at about three. He proved
that scarceIy I'd per cent Of the suns
rays penetrated to sea level.
Other observers obtained other 6g-
ures. and at the beginning Of this cen
tury the tendency was to return to
th,rs.. announced by Hefschcl and
Pouiilef
IL is certain that the earth intercepts
only about one two billionth part Of
the actual heat of the sun. but II We
adopt I-anxiey's figure. 3. we find that
the fraction Of heat received would be
sufficient to melt annually a layer Of
Ice ss15 feet thick at the equator of
the eIrth- The average power receiv-
ed frum the sun over the entire earth
Is equal to I5i.4Ga-OOO kiiosrammeters
a year. or one continuous horsepower
for every LIZ square metefA
The greater part of this heat IL used
up in keeping the earth warm; but. &C
corlins to Heimboitz. about thou
sandth part Of it is absorbed BY ami.
mails and vegetables and becomes an
abundant reserve Of energy for the
human race
II We accept the more recent figures.
which are the result Of the calculations
of Nessrs. Abbott. Fowie and Aidrich
at the Smithsonian institution in
Washington and call the solar constant
two calories per square ceDtimeter per
minute. the results are scarcely les
striking
If the total heat could be applied to
a bIock Of ice at o degrees c. as thick
as the enrth-S00O miles-this would
be entirely melted In a quarter Of an
hour. All the water thus obtained
wouh be turned to steam at 100 de-
grees c. III minutes later. the whole
operation from Ice to steam having
taken only two hours and twelve min
utes.
The most recent estimate Of the tenn
pernture of the suns surface II be-
tween Gy00O and 1000 degrees Chew
York World.
Limited Diss;pstisn.
A small henpecked little man was
abouf to take an examination for life