58 ORIGIN AND NATURE OF LIFE 



varying with a slight disturbance towards 

 synthesis or disruption, and also if synthesis 

 were taking place from the luminiferous ether, 

 it is just those elements that are present in 

 the hottest stars which would be synthesized 

 there. At different levels of temperature in 

 heating, or in cooling, at the same time and 

 alongside of each other, certain forms of matter 

 will be synthesizing while others are disrupt- 

 ing. 



So delicately fixed are the positions of the 

 well-known solar lines that a minute dis- 

 placement towards either red or blue end of 

 the spectrum at once arrests the attention of 

 the stellar spectroscopist. Just as the pitch 

 of a motor horn, or railway locomotive whistle, 

 is higher as the car rapidly approaches the 

 auditor, and falls as the car moves away after 

 passing, so if a star from which the light is 

 coming is approaching the earth with great 

 speed, the optical pitch of each light of every 

 frequency will be increased, and all the lines 

 will be moved slightly towards the blue end, 

 and conversely if the star is receding. The 

 displacement is only slight, for even the high 

 velocity of the heavenly bodies relatively to 

 one another is small relatively to the velocity 

 of light moving at nearly 200,000 miles per 

 second. 



