Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-06

III few years amazing new conquests in
~ the astral regions Explorers OF the
heavens, benefiting by the remark
able advances of science within the
twentieth century about TO embark upon
the most pretentous adventure in the history
of mankind-the enlargement of our physical
universe to twice its present known dimensions
Eyes of the scientific world are trained upon
the West Lynn CMasS) plant OF the General
Electric Co., where under the auspices OF tne
International Education Board, founded Dy
John d. Rockefeller, jr, there Is shortly TO De
constructed for the California Institute OF
Technology an astronomical mirror OF tuseo
quartz having diameter Of 200 inches.
Largest of all telescopes in the world at the
present time is the giant housed within the
Mount Wilson Observatory in California, WIN
a rejecting glass measuring 100 inches across.
With this mirror the sun, 92OOOOOO miles
awav is 'close up" Five billion times more
distant than the sun from earth Is the neouIa
Andromeda; and yet heavenly bodies more as
tant than this star cluster-75O quintilllon miles
from Mother Earth-have been studied through
the Mount Wilson telescope.
Now imagine. if you please, a telescope that
will enable 4 man to peer twice as far In
straight line!
LIGHT travels in one second more than SO
times the distance between New York and San
Francisco Its speed has been estimated at
10000 miles per Second-more than ll,OOO,-
900 miles a minute, more than 16,OOO,OOO 900
miles a day, more than 100000 ,OOO' 600 miles
a year Multiply 100000 100000 miles by
100000, 900 and the resulting figure represents
the distance in miles between the earth ana
the farthermost stars of which man now has
knowledge.
WITH the successful contamination OF the
w fascinating project now under way in a
New England laboratory-the construction OF
q 2OO-inch disc having diameter of nearly
II feet and weighing close to 80 tons-the
length of human vision will be doubled. Sci
entists claim that with 200-inch telescope
reflector astronomers will be enabled to look
at star groups that are two Sextillion-2 600
600 900 600 900 ,OOO-miles away! The light by
which they will be seen, according to cali
culations of the savants, started on its jour-
ney through space 100000 centuries ago
Prof Elihu Thomson of Lynn, Mass en-
gagged for years in pioneer work in the fusing
of silica glass quartz sand, Is the genius
upon whom the astronomical world is depend
ing for achievement of this proposed new mar
vel of science. In his research work he learned
that mirror made of fused quartz would re-
tain its exact dimensions under any ordinary
change in temperature; that it would not re-
Quire long annealng, as with glass, and from
these facts developed the conclusion that
great mirror so made would be ideal for
super astronomical telescope.
Financed by the younger Rockefeller, and
virtually a selt-willed prisoner for the last two
years in the Massachusetts laboratory of which
he is director, Dr. Thomson has made notable
progress in his experiments. First an 11-inch
disc and then a 22-inch disc and lately score
or more of these quartz discs have been COM
pleted and forwarded to the California OBJ
SerVatory, where they will function as find
ers' in the giant telescope when the 200-inch