Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-01-17
NEBULAE Of GEM|N|
IS HELD RECED|NG.
Discovery at Mt. Wilson Sets
Rate of Speed at $1,000
Miles Per Second.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

Observations of two spiral nebulae
or island uaivcrses" in the constclla-
ton of the Gemini, which apparently
are moving awav from the earth at the
approximate rate of $1,000 miles per
second, were announced here yesterday
through the Carnegie Institution OF
Washington.
These objects, presumably vast star
systems comparable to the great Milky
Way system itself, represent the far
thest reach to date of human observa-
ton into outer space. Their speed of
recession is approximately 5000 miles
per second greater than that Of the
most distant nebula previously photo
graphed.
This latest discovery made by Dr.
Milton Humason Of the Mount Wilson
Observatory adds further confirmation
to one Of the Strangest phenomena ever
observed in the heavenS-the eXplana-
ton Of which is in dispute among
astronomers, and which largely is re-
sponSible for the presence Of D.. AL |
bert Einstein and DR. Wilhelm De Sitter |
in Pasadena this Winter.
Shifts Determine Speed.
The speed and direction of a lumi- |
nous object in the heavens can be cal |
its spectrum. II these lines are shifted |
toward the red end of the spectrum, it /
means that the object is moving away
from the position of the observer
that is, the earth. If they are shifted /
toward the blue end, it means that the |
object is moving toward the earth. The
speed Of movement in either direcAon |
can be determined from the extent of
the shift.
rTl,raa ,,oore am Dr ry,,,,oo.oa oad
his colleague, Dr. Edwin Hubble, made
the astonishing discovery that, provided
the shift" phenomenon was a reliable
criterian, the island universeS were
moving outward at enormous speeds
and that the greater the distance the
greater the speed. This was found to
hold good for all those nebulae whose
distance could be calculated by indie
pendent methods, such as observations
of variable stars which could be de-
tected on photographs of the island
universes." Last Summer the observa-
lions were carried approximately four
times farther into outer space by the
development of the method of calcu-
lating the distance of nebulae by their
luminosity. This gave check on those
great star clusters so far removed that
there was no hope of detecting in them
any variables or clusters of variables.
Results of Observations.
The distances are so vast that the
results are given in parsecs. A parsec
is approximately 10000, 900 900 900
miles. Here are the results to date on
the observations of the most distant
nebulae:
A group of about $50 nebulae in the
constellation Cancer; distance about
100000 parsecs; speed outwards,
1900 miles a second.
A group of about 500 nebulae in the
constellation Pegasus; distance about
100000 parsecs; speed outwards, g.
200 miles a second.
A group of about 800 nebulae in |
the constellation Coma; distance about
100000 parsecS; speed outwards,
$500 miles a second.
group Of about 300 nebulae in the
constellation Ursa Major; distance
about 22,000,000 parsecs; speed about
1900 miles a second.
A group of about 300 nebulae in the
constellation Leo; distance about 3d.
100000 parsecs: speed outward about
$4,000 miles second.
Speed Has Increased.
The discovery announced today car
ries the observations to a distance of
about 100000 parsecs. This is ap-
proximately 135,000,0 900 light years, or
the distance that light travelling ap-
would come In that length of time.
With this increase in distance the out
ward speed has increased approximate
ly 1900 miles a second.
Thus the speed outward is seen to
increase about / 900 miles a second for
each 10000 parsecs.
Humanson and Hubble in describing
this phenomenon have stressed that, so
far as they know, the increasingly great
outward velocities are only apparent
and they have no means of stating
positively that this strange phenomenon
actually is a physical reality in the
distant heavens. They make no effort
TO interpret what it means If it is a
reality rather than an illusion in some
way inherent in observations over such
vast distances
The two observers express confidence,
however, that the same uncanny rela-
tionship Of outward speed and dis
lance, which seems on the surface to
indicate that all creation is under
going gigantic explosion, will hold
good when it becomes fundamentally
possible to extend the observations TO
still more distant objects with the pho
tographic eye of the telescope.
theoretically they have calculated
the relationship out to a distance of
100000 900 parsecs and an outward
velocity of about $1,000 miles a second.
Exploding Universe.
The theory of the exploding universe
has been advanced especially by Prof
Wilhelm De Sitter, celebrated Dutch
mathematician, who now is comforting
with Mount Wilson astronomers in
Pasadena. 1t also is the theory of the
famous British astronomer Sir James
Jeans, who spent much of last Winter
in Pasadena, largely because of the SEN
sational discoveries Of Hubble and
Humanson.
According to this theory the solar
system, the Milky Way galaxy, or any
unit of creation is speeding through
space like fragment Of an explod-
ing shell. Others have advanced the
theory that the recession speed is only
apparent, due to the structure of space.
This has been the implication, up to
the present, of the Einstein theory. 1t
is largely for the purpose of reconciling
his cosmology with this recession speed
that Prof EinStein now is in Pasadena.
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