The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-07-22
RELATIVITY THEORY MAY SOON BE TESTED
 BY SCIENTISTS
Astronomers will View : Group of Stars From
 Tahiti Islands.
By ELLIS HI. MARTIN.

line known as Ninety Mile Beach," where on September 21 scientific ob- servations will be made which may settle once and for all the correct ness of the Einstein theory of rela- tivity.
 For period of five minutes and 19 seconds on that date a battery of five cameras and five spectroscopes trans ported half way round the earth for : eclipse of the sun. Directing will De a little band of scientists who have been months preparing for the event.
 The expedition left here in three sections, the first in charge of Assist ant Astronomer Robert J. Trumpler, of Lick Observatory, going to Tahiti Islands March 31 for the purpose of obtaining preliminary observation of the so-called Einstein group of stars when they were in tine night sky of May and early June. He carried along five tons of astronomical instruments and supplies. His preliminary work met with full success.
 The second section left here In June and included seven tons of ap- paratus and supplies. The third and last section. headed by Director w. W. Campbell, of Lick Observatory; Moore, associate astronomer of Lick Observatory. is due to land at Sydney. Australia, early in August.
 Sections United In Sydney. 2 The first and second sections or the expedition united in Sydney the first week of July and proceeded by 
 Australia to Freemantle ,on the south west corner of the Australian conti- nent.
 Following many engagements in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. Di- rector Campbell's party will reach Freemantle about August Is. From here the three sections will proceed northerly 1,50G miles under the aus pices of the Commonwealth Govern ment by steamer to Broome, 200 miles north of WallaI, the selected eclipse station RrnnDaa 2 will he made to a schooner supplied by the Government, to be lowed by Gcvernment steam vessel southerly to Wallal.
 .aThe tides on the northwest coast i cf Australia have an average range Stated before feaving During f6e transshipment at Broome and the landing at Wallal. which will occur at low tide. the vessels will be resting firmly on the ocean bottom, and these operations will, so to speak. take place on dry land.'
 Eclipse to Last Five Minutes.
 The expedition is due to reach Wallal. on "Nfntey Mile Beach," on or before September l and to leave | on September 2S, returning to Free mantle and the neighboring city of Perth by the reverse route.
 'The duration of the total eclipse at Wallal will be five minutes, 19 sec ends. Certain special observations . will be made in the two minutes pre- cedgng tota1ity. and in the two min uteS following totality, but during the total phase all of the instruments will be in action.
 Aside from the four Mount Ham tlton observers, the Lick party will astronomer of New Zealand, and Mrs. Adams, MT! Hosking, a member of the staff of the Melbourne Observa- tory, and Professor Ross. of the Uni versity of Western Australia, all of whom have volunteered their ser vices.
 'The atmospheric conditions at Walla! are expected to be good, as rains hardly ever occur there in the month of September. Only twice in the past 25 years have September occasions the precipitation was less than one-tenth of an inch.
 Many Instruments Needed.
 The photographic plates will be developed in the dark room of the Perth Observatory Some of the plates will be measured in prelim- ! mary manner at Perth, using micro scopes taken from the Lick Obse1va- tory for this purpose
 The principal instruments of the expedition consist of camera for ! the photography of the suns corona and for determining very accurately the relative positions of the sun and the moon, which is equipped with a lens of five inches aperture and forty rect focal length. Four cameras will be devoted to the Einstein problem ! Two Of these cameras have lenses of
 
 ] length, and the lenses of the other ! two cameras are four inches in aper- ture and five feet in focal length. ' the coronal spectrum, complete the list of leading instruments.
 All the members of the expedi- ! ton, except Dr. Trumpler, will return to California by the shortest route and expect to reach San Francisco about November G. Dr. Trumpler, a native of Switzerland will return via SueZ SU-jf York.
 Australians Praised
 very ntle time can be devoted to the study of the eeclipse photographs until after they reach Mount HaniI- ton If the plans concerning the Fin stein program are successful the meas urement of the photographic plates and the mathematical discussion of the measures will be so extensive as to consume the time of two observers during at least four months
 The generosity and hospitality ex- tendsd by the Australian Government to the eclipse expedition locating in that the United States-California in a-ticular-cannot hope to equal them on the occasion of the eclipse of Sep tember 10 1928 to be visible from Lompoc San Diego: the large islands off the coast of Southern California and in certain parts of Lower Califor mia and the mainland of Mexico
 -'TEe members of the Crocker ex- petition become the guests of the Australian Commonweal from the time of their arrival in Sydney until they depart homeward bound from Sydney Railway transportation is supplied gratis from Sydney to Free mantle and return. a total distance of $500 miles. Steamer transport is supplied from Freemantle to WaIIal and from Wallal back to F'reemantIe.
 "The complete camp equipment al Walla1 will be installed by the com monwealth- A naval officer and ter merines, including concrete worker cook. walters and 1aborers, will sup. ply food gratis, and much assistance in the setting up of the heavy instrlI. ments and the erection of the build ings which are to shelter the instr11. ments"
 Lick Observatory is maintained by the University of California and the expedition is being financed by IV6l. liam H. Crocker.
 RERWEsA