Evening star., 1954-04-30
Sun Moy Cause Lights
Over Two Polar Areas
Titanic Geysers Of Gas
Cited as Possible Source
BY Thomos r. Henry

Cited as Possible Source
By Thomos r. Henry
The diaphanous green curtains of
light that spread from the North and
South Poles of the earth may be due in
part to titanic geyserS of flaming hot
gas at the north and south poles of
the sun.
This was reported to the National
Academy of Sciences here today by DR..
Donald H. Menzel, Harvard astronomer.
It has long been agreed. DR.. Menzel
Said that Aurora Borealis and Aurora
AuStralis are due to clouds of electrified
particles drifting from earth to sun,
but the source of these clouds on the
suns surface is in considerable dispute.
Motion pictures of the suns face show
there are enormous spurts of flaming
gas from the neighborhood of sun
spots. The earth lights, however, are
observed when there are practically no
sun spots.
Gaseous Currents in Space.
Recent observations have shown, DR..
Menzel said. that. there are solar "spic-
ules." bubbling fountains of flaming
gas. at both poles of the sun which must
also be pouring electrified particles into
space. One implication of this, he said.
is that I'VE may expect interplanetary
space to be filled with innumerable
gaseous current loops like smoke rings.
some come from active spots and 9TH
efS from solar regions near the poles
Inc enect OF the electric current will
tend to hold the loop together, like a
smoke ring, and keep it from dispensing
into space
Ihe auroraS remain among mans
best tools for studying conditions at the
upper limits of the earth's atmosphere
and also one of the most baf1ling of
natural phenomena, DR.. A. B. Meinel
of the University of Chicago told the
academy. The largest displays often
follow storms in the atmosphere of the
sun, but the lights cannot be associated
directly with any unusual events, since
they may be seen as often as once out
OF every two clear nights in the neigh
borhood Of the poles.
The average aurora, he said. seems
to have two distinct periods. It starts
as an arc of light. usually whitish-
green. extending from horizon to hori-
zcn. During this time bombardment of
the upper atmosphere with particles
from the sun can be demonstrated,
Then at some time during the night
the arc breaks up into vari-colored rays
for which no explanation is available.
although 1t is evident that a profound
change has taken place.
Mathematical Mystery.
When the great French mathemati-
clan Pierre Fermat died 282 years ago.
he left behind mathematical conun-
drum over which thousands of persons
have spent thousands of hours ever
since.
1t was ostensibly a rather simple
algebraic statement in the field of the
theory of numbers
Il have found beautiful proof of
this" Fermat had written in his note
book just before he died. He gave no
hint of the nature of his proof.
That started all the trouble. About a
century later, wealthy countryman of
the mathematician who has spent half
lifetime trying to arrive at a proof,
left what amounted to a large fortune
in the trusteeship of the French Acad-
emy to be given anybody who sue
ceeded
The bequest still is intact, according
to last reports. and with the fluctua-
tions of currency over the centuries
might be enough to buy pack of cheap
cigarettes today. Still. year after year,
the search has gone on. 1t is a case of
repeated multiplication after multiple
cation and Mr.. Fermat's statement has
always proved true.
No Proof Of No Exception.
Still. nobody has been able to prove
that there cannot possibly be an ex-
ception. Twenty years ago numbers had
been raised above the 600th power by
laborious multiplication with pencil and
paper and 1t seemed unlikely that any,
body would live long enough to go much
further.
With some of the new electronic cal
culating machines the picture has
changed, according to Drs. H. S. VAN
diver of the University Of Texas and
d. H. Lehmer and Emma Lehmer of the
University of California. With a call
culator developed at the National Bu-
reau of Standards, they have tested
Fermats statement for all prime num-
bers up to the 2,000th power-a job
which hitherto would probably have re-
quired two or three lifetimes. The old
French mathematician thesis has held
true all the way-but what happens
beyond the 2,000th power? The French
Academy might quite justly remain un-
convinced.
It's not just an idle pastime. DR.. VAN
diver said Proof may have important
implications in algebra.