The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-05-03
Today's Science
by DAVID DIETZ

01ANc for continuous year-around measurements
of cosmc rays at six or eight stations IN wiuely
separated parts of the world nave peeh &c
I,i the cosmic ray committee of the Carhege llsIl
tuition of washington after consultation VIII III ~
NTil1ikan DR. Arthur H. Compton, Dr. lhonas n
Johnson and other foremost Investigators III ViiiS
field. ....,,,,i++oo oro Tr
Walter S Adams director OF the Mt wilson oO-
serrstorv. DR. John A Fleming. director OF the oe-
nartment of terrestrial magnetism, and Dr. freq T.
Wright, geophysiclst .+
or+c which make continuous Neutrality-suspicious. rec
ords of the RAYS on moving strips OF him, are oeng
built by the Carnegie institution Tor the propoSeu
study. 80, Ill, ,ob,a
scientists TO settle many of the puzzles now as
sociated with the rays and their behavior
"T~HE Importance to geophysics OF developing the
i cosmic ray Investigations can not De oVei
estimated" the committee says. ,,
THE question whether the rays are lnuaLy
corpuscles or protons is one OF tar-reacnhg value
in the study of the earthS electric helo anu Ito
variations bearing particularly on such queStlohS aS
tbe maintenance of the earths negative charge an
explanation of the Neutrality-suspicious. universal wave
in the diurnal variation of potential gradient the re-
lation to thunderstorm centerS' anu coiAe''01 "-'
magnetic disturbances. 80,
Because of the desire not only to understand the
nature of the rays themselves, but to understand
the relationship between the rays and otner Ter
reStial phenomena, II mas OeeH SuSS0SVCN 0'' '--O
cosmic raw stations be located at points Wnere con-
tinuolls geophysical measurements are now going on
That is at points where continuous RECORDS OF Clle
earths magnetic field, the strength OF the aIho-
spheric electricity and the like, are now going on
Among the locations which the committee no"
has under discussion are the CapetoWn magheIc ou-
servatory of the University Of CapetoNh' 0outiI
Africa Auckland or wellington New Zealand or
the Christ Church magnetic observatory of New
Zealand the Huancayo magnetic observatory at an
elevation of IL 900 feet the Honolulu magnetic OBJ
servatorv in Hawaii, and the Rehra Dun magnetic
observatory in India.
It has also been suggested that a station be
established in Pasadena. Cal, where the headquar-
ters of the Mt Wilson observatory are located and
that another one be established in the vicinity OF
Boston, Mass.
A NUMBER Of cosmic ray Investigations are now
N going forward in various universities and re-
search laboratories in conjunction with the plans OF
the coSmic ray committee.
These Investigations being financed with
funds provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New
York and administered by the Carnegie institution.
Among the investigators to whom Carnegie funds
have been made available for certain Investigations
are Dr. r. A Millikan of the California Institute of
Technology, DR.. Arthur H. Compton of the Univer-
sity Of Chicago. and Dr. Thomas H. johnson of the
Bartol Research Foundation Of Swarthmore. Pa.
DR.. johnson, reporting on his recent work at the
meeting Of the American Geophyscal Union now in
session here in Washington. said that he believed
the most reasonable explanation of the rays
that they consisted Of protons. ProtonS are posi-
lively charged particles which constitute the nuclei
Of hydrogen atoms.