Evening star., 1935-08-15
STARS, MEN AND ATOMS
Notebook Of Science Progress in Field,
Laboratory and Study.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

are such a procedure would lead one
far astray. Unless there has been a
reversal, according to the 23-year-cycle
hypothesis. very powerful factors will be
at work to reproduce conditions similar
to those which obtained before. But
there are other factors complicating the
situation which can be evaluated only
by the expert and some of which still
may be unSuspected. So the merits of
the hypothesis must not be judged on
the basis of naive forecasts.
Few scientific projects have been car
ried out so tenaciously with more dis
couragement, or in the face of greater
hardships.
Measurements of the suns heat out
put from day to day have been extremely
difficult. Only with marvelously deli
to detect variations which were outside
the range OF probable error.
One of DR.. Abbots first tasks was to
perfect existing instruments and to in
vent others even more precise. This in
itself was a scientific achievement of
the first magnitude. Allowance had to
be made for the absorption and scatter
ing of radiation in the atmosphere and
to simplify this procedure as much
possible observing stations were neceS-
Sary on high mountains in desert cOun-
tries. The Smithsonian observers jour-
neyed to some of the remotest and most
deSolate corners of the earth to eStab-
liSh their obServatorieS and their house
holds. Stations in California and Chile
proved fairly satisfactory for the Western
Hemisphere. For the Old World great
difficulty was experienced. First, an
observing station was set up on a noun
tain top in South Africa which proved
somewhat unsatisfactory. Finally, the
observers settled down on the summit
of Mount st. Katherine, in the desolate
Sinai Peninsula, perhaps the very noun
tain top upon which Moses is supposed
to have received the commandments
The measurements could be made
only by men especially trained in the
use of the delicate instruments. An un-
expected disturbance in atmospheric
conditions rendered observations worth
less. The instruments themselves had
to be kept in perfect order. But as the
years went by greater and greater ac-
curacy was achieved and more and
more dependence could be placed on the
measurements as recording actual vari-
ations in the suns radiation output.
1t became clear to DR.. Abbot and his
coworkerS that the sun was variable
star. 1t was emitting pulsations of radi-
alton of the nature of fundamental
and IL or more overtones, like violin
string when Scraped by bow. Why the
great, hot, gaseous sphere upon whose
heat output all life on earth depended
should do this was ineXplicable, but
the fact seemed indisputable.
At first the pulsations appeared
chaotic. They revealed no regularities
upon which dependence could be placed.
The translating of the message hidden
in the crooked, tortuouS lines of the
graphs demanded breaking job
of statistical analysis which DR.. Abbot
carried out largely Single-handed.
There remained the task of determin-
ing the Complex way in which these sun
pulsationS interlocked with terrestrial
cycles to produce weather" This re-
quired analysis of the effects of evap-
oraticn, fog, winds, atmospheric con-
tent and density, movements of the
earth and numerous other facts. 1t is
here that the hypothesis rests at present.