Evening star., 1932-11-14
MILKY WAY CALLED |
A MERE "GALAXY'
Universe Compartments 900
TriIIion Stars Within Reach
of Telescope.
By HOWARD w. BLAKESLEE,
Associated Press Science Editor.

l 0oSOSAahcA EACos OSAShSc EultuIa
ANN ARBOR, Mich. November IA
Three hundred trillion stars-more
than enough to give separate sun to
every human being who ever hved-he
within reach of present telescope
| sights.
So the National Academy of Sciences
was informed today by symposium OF
sworld-famous scientists who sum-
married the latest discoveries Of
astronomy.
Coupled with this picture of an
amazingly vast universe, was the an
nouncement of a discovery in the op-
posite direction, down in the almost
infinitely small, pendulum so delicate
that it swings at the impact Of few
molecules of gas.
A mechanical brain which calculates
some of the Einstein relativity that
once only dozen men in the world
were supposed TO understand, was also
described at today's opening session.
$4,000 GaIaxies Revealed.
The picture of the almost unbeliev-
ably vast size of creation was started
by DR.. Harlow Shapley, director Of the
Harvard Astronomical Observatory. He
said one 24-inch Harvard telescope has
revealed in southern skies alone $4,000
"galaxies" of stars. A single galaxy Is
host of stars as vast as the milky way
to which the earth belongs.
These $4,000 have been found in only
comparatively small portion of the
sky. DR.. Shapley predicted that when
Harvard finishes its present plans to
may the whole sky, there will be SoO,-
600 of these "galaxies.'
In one galaxy alone there may be one
billion stars, according to DR.. Joel Steb-
bins, University Of Wisconsin astron-
omer. That is the actual number esti-
mated for the Milky Way, the only
galaxy close enough for much star
counting.
But DR.. StebbinS showed how fecent
observations with the worlds greatest
telescope at Mount Wilson, Calf, indi-
cate that this Milky Way, which a short
time ago was considered the most mas
sive star collection In creation, is COM
monplace.
Immense Veil Of Dust
The great 1Oo-inch telescope, aided
by a tiny photoelectric eye not much
more than an inch big, has detected an
immense veil of dust dividing the vast
Milky Way into two halves. The thick
ness of this veil Is unknown, but it is
sufficient to redden the color Of stars
lying beyond it much as the sun red
dens at evening.
The great star clusters lying beyond
this veil, he said, are four times closer
to earth than formerly computed. The
big telescope and little photoelectric eye
also reveal that a mistake has been
made in computing distances to stars
lying on the same side of the dust veil
as earth. Those distances must be
cut 19 per cent
The sum total Is to reduce the proud
creation to just another galaxy" Of
stars.
The pendulum that ticks at the action
of molecules was reported by Dr. Karl
T. Compton, president of Massachusetts
Institute Of Technology. 1t appears to
be discovery Of fundamental import
ance in calculating the actions of cleo
trif1ed gases, something that may ul-
timately become of widespread practical
value in engineering and chemistry.
The pendulum is made of the metal
molybdenum and hangs in tube of
highly electrified, or ironized, gas.
of ironized gas, molecules
which have become electrically charged
Uy IOSlI1B dIl SlcCLIO4lb dAC SLlOb dSd44Ict
this pendulum.
Rebound" of 'Tons."
Some Of the. lions" rebound from the
pendulum, others stick fast
THE mechanism of this rebound Of
ions is pictured" said DR.. Compton,
"as simply the collision Of the gas ion
with an atom of the metal surface
like the elastic collision Of projectile
ball with a target ball. The rebound
is greatest for helium (Which Is very
light) and successfully less for neon
and argon ions striking molybdenum
electrode, and there Is no rebound at all
when mercury ions (Which are very
heavy) strike molybdenum"
The relativity accomplishment OF the
mechanical brain was reported by DR..
Vannevar Bush, dean of engineering at
Massachusetts In,titute Of Technology.
This brain" is the most recently de-
veloped of series Of mechanical calcu-
lating machines. 1t calculates things
like the laws Of flow Of river, doing
in a few minutes CT hours what a
mathematician does in days or weeks.
1t has worked, said DR.. Bush, the
Thomas -Fernlie equation, land the
same equation after introducing the
relativity correction" 1t has worked
wave" equations Of physics and prob
lens showing the makeup Of nuclei Of
atoms.