The daily Alaskan., 1921-09-13
SEA OF CALCIUM
 IS SKY MYSTERY
Cornell UniverSity'S New Dean of Astronomy Is Studying
 Big Puzzle.
SCIERCE'S VIEWS CHANCE
Theories of Evolution Of Heavenly Bodies Reverse Of Few Years Ago -Spectroscope Astronomers
 Greatest Aid.

Seattle, Wash.-S. l.. BOOthroyd, pro- lessor of astronomy at the University of Washington. who leaves this June to become the dean of astronomy at Cornell university, has been adding his bit and an important bit it may prove, to mans knowledge of his carth's big brothers, the stars.
 Many stars which to the naked eye or through small telescopes appear as single stars are in fact two stars, cir cling about each other
 It is these double stars that Profes- sor Boothroyd has been Investigating. Part Of his work has been done at the University of Washington and part at the Dominion government observatory near Victoria B. C.
 Studies Double Stars.
 Professor Buu,hroyd has been study ing the spccua of two double stars just barely visible to the naked eye. One is known as Boss No. 46o2" and the other as I'll. R. No. SS03." They are so far away that even big telescopes cannot separate the two stars that com. pose them. The two stars which ap- pear ss one and are called the Boss No. 46O2 are at least &,0DO.OOO miles apart, perhaps much farther, and still they are so far away that they seem one star in the telescope,
 The Spectroscopc is perhaps the as- trouompr'S greatest aid. It is simple little routrivaurc of lenses and a three coruered bit of glass that makes a beam of light into a rainbow. The rainbow is divided by dark lines, and these dark lines are the perS ot gHr astronomers.
 Eacn combination of lines tells the story of some one or the o.ghty-udd chemical elements present m thr body producing thc light The nrt..ancr of rhe spectrum and its lines indicate the heat rudtuted by the star Professor BDnrhroyG states.
 "Oue of the double stars ! have been observing" explained Doctor Eooth- ruyd. "is floating ia a sea of calcium. Calcium tS a rare metal ou earth. m- srtnc am atmosphere ot metal SO hot .r is vapor and extending more than B. OOOuU miles, ! um paying close ar- teuHuu to this calcium atmosphere. !, may give Us thr clue to the solution ot several mysteries in connection with double stars"
 Theories come and go on the birth and life of stars. according to ProfeS- sor Boorhroyd. Today.s best hypothesis of the evolution of the stars iS almost the exact reverse of the one which held sway few years ago.
 Only Hazard a Guess.
 "Thc best astronomers hardly have a theory" said rhc Seattle astronomer. "They dare not. They only hazard a guess as ro the order Of certain things in tnr life of star. The most likely story Of a stars life has it born of nebulouS vapor and dead as a tiny, shrunken old sun.
 eve now believe that somewhere bits and scraps of cosmic dust, the remnants of old stars and all the litter and trash of the universe collects and, after mil lions of years. becomes nehula. A nebua looks like a knot of cotton to the eye and like a cloud In the tele- scope. It is made up of riuy asteroids from the size oC br.ckhat to perhaps the size of a miniature planet
 "Why this universal rubbish collects to form a neDuIa no man can even guess. But when lhc ncbula has be- come large, gradually the bits work to- ward the center Heat is generated Its generation might he said to result from tho friction of the particles. Rap idly the heat increases and the whole mass becomes hot. In the course of a few million years we have a great blaz ing sun. huge beyond mans best and biggest dreams"