Evening star., 1951-12-17
Tiny Light Patch Aids
In Measuring Creation
Stupendous Project Begins
With Aid Of Huge Telescopes
By Thomos R. Henry

northern sky about 100000, 900 ,000,-
000,000,000 miles away from the earth.
1t is moving farther away, at speed
Of about $4,000 miles second, outward
into the vast unknown.
Representing the current frontier of
creation, its present location Is about
1000, 900 900, 900 100000 miles further
in space than man ever has penetrated
before. This reading into inf1nity was
among the major accomplishments Of
the year reported by DR.. Vannevar Bush.
president of the Carnegie Institution Of
Washington, to the Institutions trustees
at their annual meeting here last week.
Carnegie astronomers at Mt. Wilson
and Mt. Palomar, Calf. in cooperation
with astronomers of the California Insti-
tute of Technology, its seems, are at the
start Of stupendous project Of measur-
ing creation, or at least that possibly
small part Of it within the utmost range
of the new 200-inch Mt. Palomar tele-
scope. This work will continue for years.
At present standard measuring sticks
are being set up.
One Of these, the validity of which IL
not absolutely established, is the velocity
of recession of galaxies. Each galaxy
is an aggregation of 100000 900 900 bill
lion stars, about the size of the Milky
Way system of which the solar system
is an inflnitesimal part. The nearest is
about 100000. 900. 900 900 900 miles
away, or the distance crossed by light,
at 10000 miles second, in million
years. The number of the galaxies them
selves seems to be unlimited. All ap-
pear to be moving away from that point
in space occupied by the Milky Way
galaxy and the further away they are
the faster they appear to be moving
about 300 miles faster per second per
million light years Of distance.
Light Long On the Way.
The faint object recorded on photo
graphic plates which represents the
frontier today is cluster of galaxies,
perhaps eight or ten of them, each as
large as our Milky Way system. The
light from this cluster of galaxies
started on it's journey 100000 900 years
ago. Three other clusters were observed
at the same general distance. Two were
800 million light years away. Another
lay across great void of 330,000,000
light years.
The Carnegie astronomers expect to
push forward the frontier Of space by
another $1,000, 900 900, 10000 miles
when suitable clusters are found. This
will depend on luck with either the 100
inch or 200-inch telescope.
The estimate of the distance of these
objects is based on their brightness, COM
pared with that of comparable clusters
nearer the Milky Way galaxy. The
speed Of recession. increasing at a rate
of 300 miles per second per million light
years was in accord with these estimated
distances, except for the farthest cluster
of all. This seemed, according to the
measurements of DR.. Edwin Hubble Of
the Carnegie staff. to be moving outward
faster than called for by the estimated
distance.
This may be the most significant Of
all the findings Theoretically, the speed
of recession might increase regularly
up to the speed of light itself-186 900
miles second. Certainly, that would be
the limit of creation, so far as man ever
could know it. Anything faster-there
are theoretical reasons for believing is
couldn't exist-certainly would be for
ever invisible because It's light never
could reach the earth.
Now, DR.. Hubble has found. the
farthest of the clusters seems to be NOV
ing trif1e faster than the speed con-
Sistent with its distance. That is, not
only does recession itself become faster
with distance but the rate of increase
OF the speed of recession also is increased.
Meanwhile, it was reported, Carnegie
astronomers have made some progress
toward establishing as measuring rod
OF the universe the distance between the
earth, or the Milky Way galaxy, and
the vast aggregation of stars in the con-
stellation of Andromeda known as
MesSier 81. Both the Milky Way and
Andromeda galaxies, not more than a
million light years apart and of approxi-
mately equal size, constitute, together
with about ten other galaxies, the So
called local system"
Distances Being "Triangulated."
First, precise distances are being
established between the earth and rela-
lively nearby stars, not more than
100000, ,000, 900, 900 miles away. This can
be done with the ''triangulation" method
OF surveyors, using the diameter of the
earthS orbit as base line. Then stars
OF the same type will be picked out into
so-called globular clusters, great aggre-
cations of stars near the edge of the
Milky Way galaxy. From their apparent
brightness the distance to the clusters
can be estimated quite accurately.
In the globular clusters are found q
class of stars known as w Virgins
variables. They are among the bright
est stars in the sky. The same type also
can be distinguished readily in Messier
81. The difference between the bright
ness of the w Virgins variables in the
globular clusters and those in the exterior
galaxy will make possible fair estimate
of the distance of the latter object.
Then the brightness of Messier 81
can be used for comparison with more
distant galaxies
There are various reasons for believ.
ing that Messier 81 and the Milky
Way galaxy are quite comparable in
size and structure. They are In the
form OF a spiral. That, presumably, is
what the Milky Way galaxy would look
like if viewed from some distant point
in space.
One of the significant findings Of the
year reported, however, Is that this
galaxy fills a lot more space than has
been assumed in the past. The spiral
hitherto photographed is inclosed loosely
in great envelope of other stars. It is
fair to assume that the Milky Way
galaxy has similar great star envelope
around it.