Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-03-31
SUN eoMaARDEp THE EARTH.
Aurora Display Of Recent Date
Caused by Discharge Of helium.

Caused by Discharge Of Hel'um.
By Associated Press. %
Philadelphia. March s1.-Thesearth
was passing thru the outer Sop-
fines of the corona or exterior en1e-,
lope Of the sun in the night OF MarSh
a2 when the Inhabitants Of tho north
ern portion Of the United States wit
messed the great aurora in the skies,
says Professor Monroe B. Snyder, d.
rector of the Philadelphia observa-
tory.
The astronomer declared in a state
men to the Associated Press that the
universal force of radioaction" on
the sun hurled the final atoms OF. an
explosion, namely, electrified hydro
gen and probably helium, straight to
earth"
Professor snyders observations
follow:
1.-THE recent aurora Is hne indi-
cation Of the explosive atomic disin-
tegration which takes place at the
surface of the sun and is responsible
for its prominence, spots and corona,
Our discovery Of the magnitude and
precise atomic order OF the explosion
Of the chemical elements Of the sun,
and in the stars generally. leads to
conceptions of the aurora and the ac-
companying magnetic and electric
storms, which are beyond any doubt
as. to their validity.
During the hours of Monday night
last, the earth was. in o very true
sense, and to the delight of us all,
passing thru the confines of tho
solar corona. The same universal
force Of radioaction which disinte-
CRATES the atoms in stupendous To-
Called Krakatoas, or Mont Pelees, on
the sun. and produces the hydrogen
of the coronal streamers, then also
hurled the final atoms Of that explo-
sion, namely, electrified hydrogen,
and probably helium, straight to the
earth.
"Only within about month Of the
equinox. vernal, or atunnal, is the
earth in an orbital position to be thus
successfully bombarded. The moving
electric hydrogen Is, Of course, an
electric current, and Is therefore car
ried toward the poles Of the earth and
round them by the earth's magnetic
forces. The fascinating colors Of the
aurora are due to the changing elec-
trio Scxcitation of the hydrogen and
Ter gases. The theory Of vegard,
the Swedish physicist, which a.s eA-
planned the wonderful curtained au-
roras as due to hydrogen particles, OF
positive electric charge, n now shown
to be enthusiastically true, In that It
Is but logical result Of the explosive
eruption Of the hydrogen from the
sun.
"The we'll known delay or lar IN
time, between the solar eruption and
the appearance Of the magnetic storm
and accompanying aurora, on the
earth, Of about forty-hve hours, II
due to the time taken for tho hydro
gen atoms to travel from the sun to
the earth. The rate Of travel IL about
SIS miles per second. or somewhat II
excess Of the rate o. the upward
movement Of the gases in some Of the
great solar prominences.
"The numerous and complex details
OF the auroral phenomena are found
thus to receive, for the frst time, resl :
sonable explanation. Additional con-
1rn,attivn OF TINS explanation is glven
by the fact that our discoveries also
prove that all the elemental atoms, 20
wonderfully explosive sSin the stars.
are, structural products Of HYDROGEN. !"
y =. q Z. - D. ~ ~