September 



191! 



NATURE 



A remark in Nature of August 22, p. 493, referring 

 to the use of Moissan's electric furnace for the pro- 

 duction of pure substances, and stating that these 

 "rendered possible the practical achievements of Sir 

 Robert Hadfield and other great steel-ma I < 

 correction for the sake of historical accuracy. Sir 

 Robert HSdfield's epoch-making experiments, which 

 led to the production of his famous manganese steel, 

 were made in 1882, and neither for this nor for the 

 other valuable iron alloys invented by him was he in- 

 1 to Moissan's work. It was not until ten years 

 later that Moissan turned his attention to high-tem- 

 perature research, and bv the preparation of chromium, 

 tungsten, molybdenum, uranium, and many other 

 metals in a fused form and high degree of pm in 

 enriched our knowledge of the chemical and physical 

 properties of these elements. 



Ix accordance with its usual practice of lati years, 

 the Royal Meteorological Institute of the Netherlands 

 has issued copies of the most disturbed magnetic 

 curves obtained at De Bilt during 19 16. The records 

 cover seven sheets, and deal with twelve separate 

 periods, each of thirty hours. There are traces in 

 each case of D (declination), H (horizontal force), and 

 V (vertical force). The D and H scale-values were 

 practically constant throughout, the respective equiva- 

 lents of 1 mm. of ordinate being 106' and 347, but 

 the equivalent of 1 mm. in the V curves varies from 

 1-147 to 3-317. Some of the disturbances were of 

 considerable amplitude, but none at all outstanding. 

 There are several good examples of " sudden commence- 

 ments." The largest movement of this kind in H 

 occurred on August 26, and was decidedly oscillatory. 

 The usual tendency for the evening hours to be 

 more disturbed than the forenoon is pronounced. Also, 

 in nearly every case the value of V is enhanced in 

 the late afternoon, up to at least 10 or 11 p.m., 

 and depressed in the early morning hours. This is 

 especially well illustrated in the two sets of curves 

 numbered 2 and 3, which cover the sixty consecutive 

 hours commencing at 7 a.m. on March 8. On must 

 occasions short-period oscillations are prominent in 

 the D and H curves during at least part of the 

 storm. On some occasions, notably on November 12, 

 these were of considerable amplitude, especially in II. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 

 Infra-red Stellar Spectra. — Some interesting ex- 

 periments on the photography of stellar spectra in 

 the extreme red have been made by Dr. P. W. Merrill, 

 of the Bureau of Standards, Washington (Scientific 

 Papers, No. 318). The actual tests were made at the 

 Harvard College Observatory, where use was made of 

 the 24-in. reflector, combined with objective prisms of 

 different dispersions. The plates were sensitised for 

 the red by staining with dicyanin, and pinaverdol was 

 added when it was desired to photograph the yellow 

 and green in addition. A large number of spectra of 

 typical stars was obtained, with exposures ranging 

 from 5 to 112 minutes, reaching in some cases as fat- 

 as A. 870, and showing the atmospheric absorption 

 bands B, a, and A. Several examples are repro- 

 duced, and it is clear that results of considerable value 

 to astronomers and physicists may be obtained in the 

 future bv this method. Among other results of interest 

 Dr. Merrill has found a new absorption band in the 

 spectra of the M stars at wave-length 760, which he has 

 proved by laboratory experiments to belong to the 

 titanium oxide series; in Mira there is possibly still 

 another band between 810 and 820. In stars of 

 class N new bands have been found at 692, 708, and 

 723, and these differ from the characteristic bands of 



NO. 2549, VOL. I02] 



carbon in degenerating towards the less refrangible 

 part of the spectrum ; it is suggested that they mav 

 possibly be due to cyanogen. The great contrast in 

 energy distribution in the different classes of stars is 

 very strongly emphasised by the extended range of 

 ition. For classes B and A tin- blue portion is 

 much the stronger; at class K the blue and red are 

 about equal; while for classes M and N the red is 

 the stronger. 



Mouni Wilson Observatory Report.— Although the 

 director has been called upon to d< ill his 



time to the organisation and work oi thi National 

 Research Council, the research activity luunt 



Wilson Observatory appears u. have been well. 



maintained. The report for 1917 refers to many sub- 

 jects of the highest interest and importance, and it is 

 only possible to mention a few developments to which 

 attention has not previously been directed. The ; 

 spectrograph has been adapted for visual observations, 

 in conjunction with the 150-ft. tower telescope, and 

 the magnetic polarities of an average number of forty 

 sun-spots were determined on each day of observa- 

 tion, besides measurements of the strength of field in 

 1 large percentage of these spots. Further tests of 

 the presence of free electricity in sun-spots were also 

 made, but, as in previous years, Stark effects were 

 not observed, and the results win- negative. Tin 

 interesting results obtained bv stereoscopic combina- 

 tions of H a images of the sun have been extended, 

 and the method has been found extremely valuable in 

 the study of prominences projected on tin- disc, and 

 in showing their connection with the dark flocculi. 

 Systematic work on the solar rotation is being con- 

 tinued with the greatest refinements, and it is hoped 

 uallv to determine whether the suggested varia- 

 tions in the period are real, or depend upon instru- 

 mental conditions and personal equation. Stellar and 

 nebular investigations continued to increase in several 

 directions, and work on the parallaxes, proper motions, 

 magnitudes, and distribution of the stars has been 

 very fruitful. Of exceptional significance in the 11 

 of stellar evolution is the definite conclusion that the 

 intrinsically fainter stars move more rapidly than the 

 brighter ones, irrespective of their distances from the 

 sun. To facilitate the experimental work, which is 

 so fundamental for the interpretation 

 spectra, the physical laboratory in Pa been 



enlarged to nearly double its former area, and addi- 

 tional equipment has been provided. Good progress 

 was also made with the 100-in. reflector, the dome 

 and mounting having been essentially completed, and 

 the great mirror safely conveyed to the top of the 

 mountain; it is expected tha li ;cope will be 



readv for test observations during the autumn. 



THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW 

 INDUSTRIES. 



A FACT brought to light at the British Scientific 

 Products Exhibition, organised by the British 

 Science Guild at King's College, is the dependence 

 of industrial development upon the intelligent applica- 

 tion of scientific knowledge and method. In most of 

 the industries represented at the exhibition it is shown 

 that the resources exist and that they merely await 

 the application of the results of scientific research for 

 their proper development, and the introduction of 

 patient and persistent effort to turn these industries 

 into successful commercial undertakings-. The case 

 of timber furnishes an example of our pre-war depend- 

 ence upon supplies from abroad, when, in point of 

 fact, the bulk of our demands could have been satisfied 

 by home or Colonial supplies. For a long time it 



