Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1920-04-08

scope They Could See Light Waves
From Earth. 10 Claim Of Prominent
Scientist.
Any doting person who plans to
guide weary wanderer from Mars
by placing the poetic candle in. the
window hfd better abandon the idea.
1t can't he done. The little Marian
would be lost In the deep and vastly
void with not one twinkle to guide
his airy footsteps.
Thus another flight of fancy Ia
blasted by science. for II Is estimated
that an earth light just bright enough
70 he distingu. shed by the eye of
Marian would have to have 766 tril-
lion camille power. Ald when one
talks in trillions 1t doesn't mean
thing.
This figure is givek by DR. Clarence
Enrol Ferree, professor of experiment
tai psychology al bryn Mawr college.
which Is now seeking a $2,0OU, 600 en-
dowment. DR.. Ferree Is the hest
known authority on light In Its rera-
ton to vision. He reached his con-
rlusion by laboratory experiments
which confirm the deductions made
by the searchlight experts of the Sper-
ry Gyrosc0pe company, who believe
that II Is possible to throw beam Of
light visible to Martans.
What the Engineers Find.
Professor Ferree's figures check up
hn
by the searchlight engineers. who
pointed out that it was unusual that
experiments based on actual exper-
fence give the same result as careful
laboratory work under ideal condi-
tons. The calculations made by
George B. Grouse, department engi-
neer, and P. r. Bassett, physicist Of
he Sperry company, showed that one
candle power Is visible at .46 of
nile, while Professor Ferrees esti-
nate, based on the minimum candle
power visible at three meters, shows
IA candle power to be visible at SO Of
I mile. The difference is accounted
FOR by absorption, for which Professor
'erree may not have made allowance.
'redicated on the supposition. that the
Nartians have telescopes with light
altering power of 5000, which Is
nuch less than the light gathering
power of the large telescopes on
earth. But Professor Ferree, with
he aid of accurate means he has Of
measuring light, was able first to de-
tha S,tv
'isible to the eye at three meters and
hen carry this out by mathematical
ulculation to show the light visible
It Mars when 1t Is 100000 miles
way. its nearest point of approach
70 the earth.
Can Work by Massed Searchlishts.
The enormous candle power neces-
'ary to produce such beam Of light
is inconceivable to the smind, but not
impossible Of production. 1t would
not be necessary, Mr.. Grouse and Mr..
Bassett believe, to construct one
single reflector. The same result
would be attained by massing search
lights of tremendous individual candle
power. And the difficulty would not
be the production of sufficient current
to light them but the great cost Of
construction. It is not likely that
there are enough searchlights in the
world to produce anywhere near
enough light to be seen by the naked
eye of the Martians.
The largest searchlight made by
the Sperry firm produces 1,2S0,OO0 Quo
candle power, but 1t would take 60;,-
$50 of these to produce 766 trillion cam
die power. So unless the Martians
have some kind - telescopes, 1t is not
likely that tAsv ~ have the oppor-
tunity right away to catch a fash
from the earth.