Evening star., 1936-06-14
In Shadow of the Moon
Scientists rockng Japan Study Frs Eclipse

pose that there are electrons On ether
particles shot on from the sun which
carry charges Of electricity, and that
these particles travel much more
slowly than the velocity of light. It is
supposed that when these corpuecles
strike the earth's upper atmosphere
they too ionize 1t.
The emission of these corpuscles may
be vastly affected by the presence Of
sun spots, terrific cyclones in the solar
atmosphere. The present eclipse hap
pens when there are likely to be many
Of these spots on the sun. II such par
ticles are elected from the sun spots
on eclipse day and are intercepted by
the moon as 1t comes between us and
the sun their effect on radio should be
noted over q much vaster region than
that covered by the optical shadow. 1t
is expected, therefore, that radio in
vestigations Of the atmosphere along
the eclipse track will help to settle this
question over which there is at present
no unanimity Of opinion among scien-
fists.
Harvard Expedition.
Prof. Mimno Of the Cruft Labora-
tory, Harvard University. will have
representatives with the Harvard ex-
pedition, which will be located at Ak
Bulak, just west Of the southern limits
Of the Ural Mountains in Russia.
With apparatus similar to that which
Prof. Mimno has been employing at
Cambridge, the radio sounding beam
will be shot skyward; to hit the re-
fiecting layers Of the ionosphere. The
waves will rebound to earth, to be
caught on the Photographic film of an
automatic recording apparatus.
As the moons shadow advances over
Ak-Bulak, the electrical conditions of
this ionosphere will change, the re-
flecting ceiling will rise or fail. and
such changes will be indicated by the
time it takes the signals to 60 up into
the sky and return to the recording
apparatus.
Prof. Mimno's investigation will be
carried on at the camp Of the joint
expedition of the Harvard Observatory
and the Massachusetts, Institute Of
Technology. Here DR.. Donald H. Men
Eel and DR.. j. c. Boyce and their as
sistants will undertake the analyses of
the light of the brilliant red atmo-
sphere of the sun that outlies the solar
disc We normally see. From the fire.
quency of the light vibrating through
their spectroscopic apparatus, matter
in new forms may be discovered.
Further light may be gained on that
mysterious substance, coronium, which
Drs. Menzel and Boyce have already
partly identified from other eclipse re-
suits as consisting Of oxygen In high
ly excited state. DR.. Wallace Brode,
chemist at Ohio State University, at
the same time will hunt for halogens
in the sun.
Expedition From Washington.
Besides the Harvard and M. I. r.
joint expedition, there will be another
American party stationed at Kustanai,
just west of the southern tip of the
Ural Mountains. This will be the joint
expedition of Georgetown University
and the National Geographic Society,
for which DR.. p. A. McNally, S. j., will
be responsible.
DR.. McNally will attempt what Is
perhaps the most fascinating expert
ment from the artistic point Of view.
He will not only take the usual black
and white photographs with specially
designed eclipse cameras. but he hopes
also to get direct color photographs to
show that elusive pearly gray tint in
the suns corona. stretching out hun
dreds of thousands Of miles into space
beyond the sun. This Is not all. He Is
ambitious enough to take what prob
ably would be the first colored movies
Of an eclipse. According to the mete-
geological statistics, DR.. McNally's
location offers better than the average
chances for good weather.
The University Of California will be
represented by DR.. Willis Cohn, who
will be in Northern Japan to join with
the japanese expedition. Mr.. Josef
johnson Of the California Institute of
Technology, who Is fast becoming a
veteran eclipse observer, will continue
studies Of the polarization of the light
from the solar corona which he has
observed at previous eclipses. A large
British party under the direction of
F. j. NJ Stratton of Cambridge Un-
versity, England. will be stationed at
Kamishari. In Hokkaido, a northern
island Of the japanese Archipelago.
Beginning Of Eclipse.
The eclipse will begin when the
moons shadow first touches the earth
near Tripoli. in Northern Africa. 1t
will cross Greece and Asia Minor,
swing northward, sweeping across the
Black Sea. the Southern Ural Noun
tains, Siberia and Japan, and then
with unbelievable swiftness dash out
into the Pacific. 1t will leave the
earth in the vast expanse of the
ocean. The eclipse path for this
event is only 80 miles wide, and every
astronomer will get as near the Gen.
tral track as is practicable. Here, for
Just little more than two and one
half minutes, the light Of the sun will
be totally obscured.
One thing Is certain-there will be
no postponement of the event.
Whether clear or cloudy, the moment
that the eclipse is over, camp will be
broken, apparatus will be packed and
shipped back home. Some time will
elapse before the results, however sue
cessful they may be, will be forth
coming. Many laborious weeks will be
spent In measuring the photographs
and radio records before science will
have another chapter of information
on the character of the suns radia-
ton and the mysterious effect Of sun
light on the radio roof Of this planet
earth.
If the color photographs prove sue
cessful, then In the near future we
shall see reproduced in motion pic
lures or in still pictures some Of the
most complete representations Of an
eclipse which have ever thus far been
made.