Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-18
UNIVERSE SLOWLY DISSOLVING
INTO LIGHT, SCIENTIST HOLDS
Dr.. Arthur Haas of Vienna Describes
Power of Atom In Lecture to
Organizations Here.

wary greatly in efficiency. DR.. Haas
said. The energy released by the
synthesis of one gram of helium from
hydrogen would be equivalent to
100, 900 liter calories.
Every body giving off energy. DR..
Haas said. suffers a loss OF mass
which can be calculated exactly.
Emittance of heat or energy equiva-
lent to one liter calorie lessons the
total mass one-twenty- millionth or
milligram Thus it has been calcu-
lated that the sun eradicates every
second heat sufficient to raise 10000
000, 900 600, 100000 gallons of water
from freezing to boiling point. At
this rate the sun in 100000 years
will have lost one-millionth Of its
mass.
Only Scratch on Surface.
1t can hence be calculated how
much energy is inherent in gram;
that is, the amount that it could give
off before il would lose its mass. Dr.
Haas said that the upper limit APP
pears to be 10000, 100000 liter Galleries
for a single gram-sufficient power to
lift 10 times all the houses In Wash
ington higher than the Washington
Monument.
Thus, even the synthesis Of helium,
if it could be made practical, would
still only scratch the surface of the
utilization of atomic energy-produc-
ing only eight-tenths of l per cent
of the maximum energy available. And
even this eight-tenths of l per cent
would be equivalent for ! gram to
the maximum energy producible by
burning 20 tons of coal.
This loss of mass by radiation and
80 c<> IL,
Dr. Haas said, explain the continued
Some day it will have sent out all its
mass in the form Of light, but this
still is a development of billions Of
years in the future.
Unknown Transmutation at Work.
If the sun were a mass Of burning
matter, such as anthracite, DR.. Haas
said, it would have burned out in 1000
years. If it were composed Of uranium
shooting out atomic particles, it would
lose half of its energy in 10000 900
years. But even this figure is extreme
ly small compared to the time the sun
has been shining. apparently with heat
little diminished.
Hence the explanation is that, in
some manner unknown and undu.
plicable on earth, the matter of the
sun Is being transformed into energy,
or light, with full efficiency. The
planetary electron of hydrogen must
revolve around it's nucleus at the rate
of 2,18S kilometers second to over
come the attraction which Is pulling
1t into the central body. II in some
way this Is overcome and the two
particles plunge into each other, the
enormous energy is released.
I> -
Haas said, by astronomers in calcu-
lating the careers of the fixed stars.
They have been able to trace the life
story of suns from infancy, through
adolescence. middle age and old age.
Our sun, he said. now is approaching
old age-but an old age which will last
for billions Of years.
Stars Live 10000, O00, 0O0. 900 Years.
All the stars during their life lose
the greater part of their mass. They
have a duration Of about 10000, 00O,-
000.00 years.
But the question still remains open
as to whether light can become mat
ter again-being transmitted first into
hydrogen atoms and these evolving
in turn over enormous extents OF
time into all the other forms Of mat.
ICI. A4SIlI IlocAs LII. 11ddS cApld1ucCs
has sort Of atomic structure repre-.
scented by the quanta. From mathe-
NAUTICAL calculations. he said, it would
appear that light rays would be trans.
formed into matter only in cases
where they had very high frequency
and this seems possible when they
enter a field of rapidly moving
particles.
DR.. Haas emphasized that science Is
still only at the beginning of its
work with atoms and that 1t Is i'm.
possible to predict what wonders may
come as the secrets are learned one
after another.