Evening star., 1951-02-16
Winds and Ice Particles
Seen Creating New Stors
Short-Lived, Super-Gionts
Found in Navy Research

Snort-lived, Super-5IuntS
Found in Navy Research
By Thomas R. Henry
Great winds between the stars. infini-
testimally minute ice particles in space,
and interplay of light and shadow are
creating new stars.
They are short-lived, super-giants,
some Of them emitting as much as 10000
times the heat and light Of the sun and
burning themselves out in about 100
million years.
This is the substance of a report to
the Office of Naval Research by DR..
Lyman Splitter, jr., Of the Princeton
University Observatory, where the basic
study on the creation Of stars is being
carried out under Navy auspices.
Between the stars, not only in the
Milky Way galaxy but in several nearby
galaxies of the same general type, float
vast clouds Of matter. These clouds are
extremely tenuous with only about one
atom in each cubic centimeter. They are
vastly closer to vacuums than anything
possible on earth. Such cloud Is so
large that light moving at close to 200.-
900 miles a second requires as much
as 20 years to cross it.
The hot, super-giant stars are found
only in the neighborhood of such clouds,
DR.. Splitter says.
Recent Studies on Clouds.
Recent studies, he reports, have yielded
some information on the constituents of
the clouds. They are composed mainly Of
individual atoms. Probably the majority
are hydrogen atoms, since hydrogen is
the dominant element in the universe
There also are particles composed Of
$ several atoms. each not more than q
10,000th of an inch in diameter. These
are what chiefly interfere with the pas
sage of light through the clouds. Pre-
Sumably they are formed by the cohesion
Of individual atoms. Assuming q pre-
ponderence Of hydrogen and oxygen, the
great majority would be like ordinary
ice
Now, DR.. Splitter points out, within
such cloud there are enormous differ
ences in temperature. Near very hot
star the heat of interstellar space must
be about $4,000 degrees Fahrenheit. In
other parts the temperature may drop
far toward absolute zero. These winds
will produce cosmic currents of enormous
velocities, just as winds are produced
These cause many collisions between
both atoms and particles, and they
tend to stick together after such head-on
smashes.
At this point, DR.. Splitter reports, q
new and very important element enters
the picture-light. It is now well known
that light exerts pressure on whatever
1t hits. Light is entering the cloud with
about equal intensity in every direction
and it might be assumed that the pres
sure on the particles would be equalized
so that the net result would be no
motion at all.
But some of the particles cast shadows
on others. Within such shadow there
Is no light pressure and path of least
resistance is created. Thus particles are
pushed together to form larger particles.
The larger the particles the greater ths
shadows. Finally, sufficiently dense
particles are formed to attract each
other by gravity and there is an eventual
condensation into stars.
A material quite similar to gem sap
phire stronger than steel and capable
of withstanding temperatures Of more
than $500 centigrade, has just been an
nounced by the Once of Air Research.
It promises to be one Of the most
notable advances yet made IN high
resistant material Of great strength
which is essential not only for laboratory
crucihles but for parts Of Jet and rocket
planes.
The material was developed by two
German scientists, Dr. E. Ryschkewitsch
and Adolph Scott. who were brought to
America Immediately after the war, to-
gether with many Of their fellows in the
western zone taken over by the American
Army. and who have been working for
the Air Force ever since.
Research Began in 1880.
Their researches on high-temperature
ceramics to replace metals in some vital
processes had started in Germany as
early as 1890. The greatest success has
been achieved with the synthetic sap
phire-like material. Unlike gem sapphire.
however. it is pure white and is 80
per cent pure aluminium oxide combina-
ton. ike the gem sapphire. 1t is trans
lucent.
The two German scientists now are
working on other oxide compounds with
berylium, thoriun1, magnesium and
zircon.
The great value of the sapphirelike
substance is that it retains all its prop
critics at extremely high temperatures.
far above those at which steel and nearly
all other metals break down. 1t remains
absolutely non-porous to gas or liquid.
It is, of course, almost completely
resistant to corrosion under any condi-
tions. In some ways. elasticity for ex-
ample. its strength is twice that of the
finest steel.
Among the major values seen for the
new material is In cutting tools.
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