Evening star., 1935-07-28


- discovery but there is an eerie world
in our atmosphere from which pioneer explo-
rations are bringing remarkable returns.
Balloon ascensions into the stratosphere
may make new records this summer But far
above the stratosphere, 100 and 200 miles up,
float multitudes of ions and electrons at the
top of the atmosphere. Latest reports from
Washington reveal that the Bureau of STAN
dards has just discovered new high radio
roof 450 miles above us, from which high
frequency signals come bouncing back to
earth.
All this electrified region from the top roof
down to within seventy to eighty miles of the
earths surface is constantly being ionized or
electrified by radiatons coming from away
out in space. Scientists call this region the
ionOsphere, and we are going to hear lot
about the ionosphere in coming years. What
ever changes take place in the ionosphere will
be reflected in your radio reception Some
things are going to happen there during the
next few years. and radio is the tool which
explorers will use to chart this unknown ocean
of the upper air.
Ten new recording stations have just been
inaugurated where scientists will measure field
ntensties of seven broadcast stations during
the coming months. The intensity with which
the radio waves are received depends in a
large measure upon the effect of sunshine on
the upper atmosphere, and the intensity of
the suns radiation astronomers have found to
vary from month to month and year to year.
New apparatus has recently been installed
at the Institute of Geographical Exploration,
at Harvard, to measure hourly changes in
radio waves as received from Chicago, and to
explore the ionoSphere for changes which are
sure to occur with the recent appearance of
the new sun-spot cycle.
If your new model radio receiver brings in
your favorite broadcast station with better
equality and clearer tone than your old set.
two things are responsible. First, through long
experience and research your manufacturers
have learned to make better SETS and second,
slow changes are taking place in the electrical
conditions of the upper atmosphere which
makes better reception of your local station
possible.
If, on the other hand, before 1885 is over
you find difficulty in getting distant long wave
stations direct, don't blame it all on your radio
set, for these same changing conditions in the
upper atmosphere are going to make long
distance reception in the broadcast band more
difficult during the next few years. Short
wave fends who buy the all-wave sets for
eaveSdropping on the other side of the world
may have some surprises coming for the
requirements for short wave transmission are
very different from those of broadcast con-
ditions, so far as the upper atmosphere is
concerned. All this will be due to sun spots.
The curious thing about sun spots is that
they 60 through periods of booms and depres-
sions, very much like business and the stock
market. On the other hand, the astronomer
can predict with far more certainty conditions
on the sun over period of years than any
economist can predict what is going to happen
to business.
Astronomers have remarkable record of
the suns behavior for good three centuries
in fact, ever since the discovery of the
telescope and its application to astronomy by
Calico in 1910. Calico wasn't the first to see
sun spot. for there had been spots on the sun
big enough to be seen by the naked eye No
systematic study of sun-spot epidemics, how
ever, was possible before the telescope was
invented.
Now. somebody is going to ask just what is
sun spot, and why should we on the earth be