Evening star., 1923-12-30
By HAROLD X. PHILIPS.

are we traVellnS--a llttie Danu !
of scientists has reached, from the |
snow-capped peaks Of California |
millions of miles out into the dim un-
measured spaces Of the universe, |
wrung from the stars many of their |
long hidden secrets, and now is en- |
gagged in the staggering achievement |
of initiating celestial processes In
man-made laboratory.
They are members of the world re-
nowned staff of the Mount Wilson OBJ
servatory of the Carnegie Institution
of Washington. Six thousand feet
above Pasadena. day and night they
explore the heavens for solution
of the riddle of the ages, peeping
through gigantic telescopes into
spaces too vast for the human mind
to conceive, OF dragging far-of
stellar bodies down into huge en-
r. larging mirrors at pleasure. for
closer observation.
Then. having wruns flom the cap
tive star some of its innermost Sec
rets they send il scampering back
TO its perch millions and millions of
miles away, while they turn to their
laboratory for proof of it's veracity
by chemically or physically repro
ducing there certain of the more inn
portant facts it has disclosed. And,
unknown to the world lat large, they
have worked soma wonders tnat
etagger the imagination.
The origin of our own particular
world is question upon which most
astronomers are agreed. 1t is gen
orally accepted that this planet and
the other members of our solar sys-
tenn, ages of time back. were one
with the sun, part OF that great va
porous mass of which the sun alone
now remains whirling, flaming
gaseous ball But how was the
earth formed? Through what sue
cessive stages did it pass in its early
life? How We're its constitutent
PARTS separated. and by what process
have the intensely hot solar gases
condensed toward center, leaving
behind those rotating, revolVlnS
spheres which are the planets of our
solar system and their satellites?
These are only a few of the ques-
tions that are one with the still un-
answered problem-whither are We
travelling. For travelling into space
we are. an infinitesimal speck in one
of two great intersecting streams OF
stars, planets, and tremendous
masses of whirling, luminous gasses
beside which our own world is
smaller than a pin point in compari-
son At, speeds ranging from about
three and a half miles Il second to as
much a. about twelve miles second,
our planet and the stars are floating
toward their unknown goal
X. x < X
DEFORE undertaking an explora-
- ton of such an unfamiliar field
on the scale anticipated BY the Car
nesis Institution those in charge OF
the project secured the world for
suitable place to build their observa-
tory. Mount Wilson was selected be-
cause il offered more advantages than
any other site - long periods OF
weather free from rain and with mt
tie cloud a tranquil and steady at
niosphere and ready source OF cleo
trfcal current and supplies from
Pasadena for the physical laboratory.
which now plays so important part
In the work of the labora tory itself.
Because of the prime interest in the
sun as the source of light and heat
on which We all depend; and as our
conceived for solar research. But the
necessity for seeking among the stars
and nebulae for evidence as to the
past stages of solar and stellar life
made it necessary that the observa-
tory secure the means of attacking
the more distant objects of the uni
verse. Hence, although the work at
Mount Wilson has centered on the
sun, it's workers are seeking to reach
the very borders of the universe it
self.
Solar research has disclosed some
astounding facts in the last few
years. The spectroscope. an instru-
ment that analyzes a ray Of light; the
attraction grating, an instrument of
highly polished metal ruled with some
$4,000 lines TO the inches: the camera
and the physical laboratory working
together have virtually solved the
mystery of sun spots and proved them
TO be temporarily cooled regions in
the suns atmosphere, due to gigantic
solar tornadoes But how was this
problem attacked?
First, giant telescope brought the
sun down to the Mount Wilson OBJ
servatory, where \ the spectroscops
' analysed the spectrum, or gaseous
constituents, of sun spot. When
the analysis had been completed the
observers did not rely upon the ve-
racity of the spectroscope entirely
but proved the truth of their discov-
cries by virtually reproducing in the
laboratory certain conditions existing
4 on the sun.
For instance. iron was observed in
the. spectra of the sun spot. To set
tie whether or not it really was iror
the laboratory Investigator took q
band Of iron wire and attached it te
two poles some distance apart
Through this tremendous electric
current was discharged, with the re-
suit that the wire exploded and form.
ed yaporized iron-a miniature, man
made flash, like the sun, with an in.
Simultaneous temperature of 10000
degrees, or about three times that OF
the real sun. The spectroscope gave
the same analysis for this gas, which
wes known to be iron. and the spec.
trum compared to that of the sur
spots. The proof was indisputable.
FURTHER studies led the tobserv'
ers to suspect that the temper.
ature of the vapors in the sun spot,
had been reduced materially. To tes
this, an iron band was again yapor
ICED and the action of this vapo
was carefully observed and photo
graphed while under different TEN
peratures in an electric furnace