Evening star., 1929-01-02
REALM OF STARS
DEVOID Of MATTER
Ether of Outer Space Free of
Meteors and Comets,
Astronomer Says.
BY the Associated Press.

by Lne ASSOCldJeu ETeSS
NEW YORK, January 2.-Announce-
ment of a major astronomical discovery
that goes far toward confirming the
correctness of the concept of the i'm
mensity of outer space was made last
night before the closing session of the
American Association for the advance
ment of Science.
It was that the vast reaches of outer
space are effectively free from meSeorie
dust, meteors, comets. electrons or other
substances that might interfere with
the passage of light. The computa-
tions of the size of space and the re-
mote starry objects that astronomers
have discovered therein recently, are
based on measuring distance by use OF
light. If space contained substances
interfering with light. these figures
would have to be revised.
The announcement was made by DR.
Harlow Shapley, director of Harvard
Observatory He said that this major
discovery" does not mean that space is
known to be completely empty, but only
that the objects and substances iden-
tilted in it do not obstruct light.
Limit Of Telescopes.
The space to which he referred is
within q radius of the earth estimated
at about l0O000,000 light years. "a
light year is the distance light travels
in one year at the speed of 10000
miles per second) Beyond 100000, 900
light years telescopes have not pene-
trated because of lack of power.
A celestial day of 100000 900
years also was described by DR.. Shap-
Iar 10 70 Of ~ ho
vast body of stars to which the earth
astronomers the Milky Way DR.. Shap-
ley said this figure is not final, but is
based on the estimated speed of whirl
of this great heavenly group, If the di-
rection is a circle Should this rotation
path be found elliptical, like the earth's
rotation around the sun, the estimates
might be different.
DIR. Shapley, described by Henry
Fairfield Osborn, retiring president of
the association, as 1.-THE Young Lochin-
var of Astronomy" sketched many more
astronomical discoveries and theories,
such as were the basis of an assertion
at an earlier session of the associa-
ton that concepts Of God needed
revision.
He said the Milky Way probably is
composed of 10.000,000, 900 stars, our
sun being one; that in the space out
side the Milky Way 100 star clusters,
independent systems somewhat similar
to the Milky Way. have been verified
at Harvard: that the nucleus in which
is the center of the Milky Way is about
47,000,000 light years away in the -
rection of the constellation sagittarius:
that this year alone Harvard photo
graphs have identified about 5000 new
outside galaxieS, or star clusters, and
that the nearest of the great galaxieS,
Coma-Virgo, is 100000 light years.
about 5000, ,000, ,000, 600 miles away, and
contains $50 separate systems. He de-
Scribed how light is used to measure
distance from stars known as yariableS.
The light of such stars wakes and
wanes, from variety of causes, some
of them being thought to pulsate. while
others revolve around darker star
that may diminish or obscure their
light.
Referring to the distant Nebula re-
ported to the association last week
from Mount Wilson Observatory as
travelling $500. miles per second, he
said it seemed to bear out the Einstein
concept and added:
I'VE must remember that this object
is but a fraction of l per cent out
toward that boundary that Einstein in
dicateS. The measurement of the
speed Of this Nebula gives us an in
dication that space and time are so
arranged that we have an effect of
velocity, an indication of a remarkable
kind of universe"