Chemistry of the Sun (Classic Reprint)

One of the advantages which has come from the introduction of new apparatus has been the possibility of making maps of the solar lines and of the metallic lines which have to be compared with them on a very large scale. Thanks to the generosity of Mr. Rutherfurd and the skill of Professor Rowland, magnificent diffraction-gratings have been spread broadcast among workers in science, and we have therefore easv means of obtaining with inexpensive apparatus a spectrum of the sun, and of mapping it on such a scale that the fine line of light which is allowed to come through the slit is drawn out into a band or spectrum half a furlong long. A complete spectrum on this scale, when complete (as I hope it some day will be, though certainly not in our time), from the ultraviolet to the ultra-red, will be 315 feet long, on the scale on which I have already been working. This is a considerable scale to apply to the investigation of these problems; but recent work has shown that, gigantic as the scale is, it is really not beyond what is required for honest, patient work. I announced some years ago to the R-oyal Society that, reasoning from the phenomena presented to us in the spectroscope when known compounds are decomposed, I had obtained strong evidence that the so-called elementary bodies are in reality compound ones.
(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)

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Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, History, Folklore and Mythology.

Forgotten Books' Classic Reprint Series utilizes the latest technology to regenerate facsimiles of historically important writings. Careful attention has been made to accurately preserve the original format of each page whilst digitally enhancing the aged text.