Evening star., 1948-11-22
| Stors, Men and Atoms
Clouds Surrounding Sturs
Found to Be Metallic Dust
Bureau of Standards Identifies
Titanium Oxide in Space
Bv Thomas r. Henry

By Thomas r. Henry
Scattered along the frontiers of the Milky
Way galaxy are giant, cold, red stars sur
rounded by dense clouds.
These stars are Of two types-M stars-nlod.
erate-sized M stars and 8 stars which give out
an infra-red radiation 10000 times that Of the
sun. One of the latter has just been reported
as probably having escaped from the galaxy
and to be running amuck in space
New light on the nature of the great. clouds
which shut of much of the visible, and con.
siderable Of the invisible infrared radiation
from these objects was obtained from a report
presented to the American Astronomical So
ciety by Dr. c. c. Kiess of the Bureau of Stand.
ards Bureau records make possible the iden.
tification of spectrum bands found by astrono.
mers.
The clouds around the M stars, DR.. Kiess re.
ported, are composed largely of titanium oxide,
the material which now is chief ingredient Of
white house paint. Titanium is the fourth. most
abundant metallic element on the earth and
long since has been identified in space dust, but
the Bureau of Standards identification of this
substance in chemical combination as q
cloud gas was new to astronomy
Zirconium Less Abundant.
Far less abundant than titanium in the SUBJ
ment chromium. Dr. Kress' records identified
the clouds around the stars as combinations
OF this element with oxygen.
Hirtherto astronomers have been unable to
determine what was shutting off large seq.
ments of the infrared light which calcula.
tions showed, should be emitted by stars OF
these types. DIR. Kiess compared them with
curtains lowered over windows of a lighted
room, allowing only q little light to come
through. Between them, the two types Of
clouds are responsible for shutting off most
Of the light in the visible spectrum
The identification was possible, DR.. Kiess
pointed out, though a new service started by
the spectroscopc division of the Bureau, that
OF collecting and correlating data from all over
the world Of interest to astrophysicists It
Is proving Of exceptional importance In inter-
preting records Of the upper atmosphere OBJ
tanned from rocket flights
American railroads are developing a loco.
motive which will run on finely powdered coal
and use no water.
The experimental work is being carried out
by the Locomotive Development Committee,
supported by nine of the major railroads and
four coal producers, in its laboratory at Dun
kirk, N. Y. For this project, the United States
Bureau Of Mines has just lent it large gas
turbine built to be sent to Russia under the
lend-lease program but withheld at the end
Of the war.
If the powdered coal engine can be sue
cessfully developed, the railroads hope, 1t will
be possible to reverse the present trend to.
wards the more expensive Diesel-electric To-
comotives and return to bituminous coal as
the major fuel The gas turbine differs from
the ordinary steam turbine in that it requires
no water. 1t uses instead jet thrust of super
heated air as its working fluid. 1t does away
with much of the complicated and bulky equip
ment necessary for steam power, eliminates
most Of the smoke nuisance, and has low labor
and maintenance requirements.
Efficiency Is Problem.
A major problem, tits pointed out by Bureau
of Mines experts, Is how to burn coal with the
greatest efficiency. Large-scale operating tests
on coal handling and burning equipment have
been in progress for some months, both at
Dunkirk and at another laboratory in Fontana,
Calf. 1t is expected that the Bureau of Mines
gas turbine will be the first large unit to oper.
ate on powdered coal in the United States.
Considerable work has been done along this
line in Europe. The information gained from
these tests will be used in completing the de-
sign Of two experimental locomotives burning
powdered coal.
Another large gas turbine originally intended
for Russia Is to be used by the Bureau Of Mines
in experiments on gasifcation Of coal under.
ground at its experimental project at Gorgas,
Ala.