Evening star., 1948-11-05
Stars, Men and Atoms
New Type Compass Seen
Using Sun Radio Waves
Physicists Report 'Cosmic Noises'
Could Be Utilized in Navigation
By Thomas X. Henry

By Thomas r. Henry
Radio broadcasts from the sun are expected
to provide new kind of compass.
Bureau Of Standards physicists working at
the radio experimental station at Sterling, Va,
have learned to distinguish the sounds caused
by these ultra-high frequency waves from the
other "cosmic noises picked up on their
receivers.
There are means and shrieks. These are
broadcasts from the excited atoms of the upper
reaches of the earth's atmosphere struck by
rays OF the suns ultraviolet light. There are
characteristic sounds from the great universe
of stars coming from the general direction of
the center of the Milky Way galaxy.
But associated with all these is low, steady
hiss which can be attributed to the sun alone.
Sometimes 1t is varied with succession Of
swishes. Sometimes there is a sound like the
gnashing of teeth, as If the sun were losing
its temper.
Practical Value Pointed Out.
The practical value of all this, it is pointed
out in q Bureau of Standards report, is that
by means Of the characteristic hroadcasts the
precise position OF the sun can be determined
at any time, regardless of the overcast condi-
tion of the sky. This means that when the
proper instrument is developed it will be pos
sible for navigators to get precise Ak on the
sun at any time during the day.
Such a device, 1t Is stressed, would have
considerable advantage over other aids to
navigation. since it is absolutely independent
of any ground stations.
The suns broadcasts, first recorded about
three years ago, also are being studied by the
bureau scientists for the light they may throw
on day-by-day variations In the condition of
the stars outer atmosphere from which heat
and light are radiated to the earth.
A new type of artificial respiration, which
has preserved life when any other means was
impossible has just been reported to the Amer
lean Association for the Advancement of
Science here.
1t consists Of electrical stimulation Of the
phrenic nerve, branches Of which run on both
sides Of the diaphragm and which controls
diaphragm movements. Thus it can be made to
reproduce the movements of breathing
BY means of this method, report Drs g. ].
Sarnon, e. Hardenbergh and J. L. Whitten-
berger of the Harvard School of Public Health,
one 5-year-old boy was recently kept alive for
So hours after suffering complete breathing
paralysis because Of brain injury.
Advantage of Method.
This so-called "electrophrenic respiration"
they report, has been studied experimentally
in rabbits, cats, dogs, monkeys and men, and
techriques worked out which may make it
generally available for medical practice. One
great advantage over other methods is that
the depth of breathing can be controlled rather
precisely by regulating the current.
A major consideration is not the breathing
alone, but the maintenance of normal oxygen
balance in the arteries In cats this has been
kept up for as long as "a hours without any
natural breathing. The normal breathing pat
terms Of the individual patient can generally
be duplicated.
There Is possibility, 1t is reported, that the
device might be used when breathing became
very feeble. such a condition as might follow
surgical operation. ''i'