Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-07-09
Our Solar System Lies
In q Dusty Corner
Space Between the Sturs
Is Full of Tenuous Dust
By Thomas R. Henry


The solar system lies in dusty corner
of space.
This is the conclusion of Drs. Bart j.
Box and Uco van WIKI of Harvard Uni
versity based on observations at Har-.
wards South African observatory from
which essentially half of the skies in
visible in the north can be seen.
1t long has been recognized that the
space between the stars Is filled with
dust which diminishes the light passing
through it. This is especially true in the
direction of the center of the Milky Way
galaxy which forever is hidden from OBJ
servation. 1t Is as if black curtain
were lowered in front of it.
The dust is extremely tenuous, not
more than few grains per cubic mile,
but this is sufficient to constitute a cur
tain because of the enormous distances
involved. The center is about 10000
light years away-the distance crossed by
light moving at 1876, 900 miles a second in
10000 years.
Debris Distributed Equally.
Evidence gathered by the two Harvard
astronomers is that this tenuous dust is
not distributed equally through space but
tends to be concentrated in the neigh
borhood of the Standardization
meaning the environment within q few
thousand light years. From the direc-
ton Of the constellation of Sagittarius,
the direction of the center of the Milky
Way galaxy, the Harvard astronomers
find. so per cent of the light from stars
only 5000 light years away is absorbed
before it reaches the earth. At 1000
light years rs per cent is absorbed.
Indications are that beyond this rela-
lively near dust screen the vast star sys-
tenn is fairly transparent and the center
OF the universe itself may be dustless.
The curtain varies considerably in
thickness, the observers found. In one
region approximately half the light from
stars 1000 to 5000 light years away can
get through.
Lightning can be hot or cold.
This is pointed out by Westinghouse
Co. engineers who have been studying
the phenomena Of lightning for IS years.
A stroke that blows a tree apart or
extensively damages masonry structure
may have little burning effect but an
other with little bursting power may
start fire.
The explosive type is called cold" the
Westinghouse men explain, because it eX-
ponds its high electric current in one
brief burst that is insufficient to ignite
anything. Hot" lightning, on the other
hand, stretches out relatively low cur
rent over long period and is responsible
for forest fires and for the burning of
farm buildings.
Lightning Strikes Repeatedly.
The idea that lightning never strikes
twice in the same place." they declare
almost never is true. Nearly always it
strikes at least twice in the same place,
ana sometimes as much as 40 times.
To the naked eye, according to the
report OF Drs. E. L. Harder and j. M.
Clayton. Westinghouse lightning special
ISIS, most strokes look like single flashes
because the different strokes of which
they are composed are spaced only one
ten-thouSandth of a second apart.
Sometimes. however. the separate COM
ponentS actually can be seen.
Inc flrst discharge, they explain, sets
up channel which is used by any num-
Der OF lightning centers in clouds to send
their bolts to earth. In most cases there
are at least two discharges along the
same channel. The first discharge usual
ly is followed Immediately by a return
streamer. brilliant flash from earth
back to cloud.
Ihese westinghouse studies are being
carried out by means of lightning traps
set on top of tall buildings all over the
country. With such traps it is possible
TO measure the amount of energy present
IN lightning stroke. The largest ever
measured was sufficient to light more
than 100000 homes for considerable
period.